Cordey
A masculine English name meaning "heart" or "love".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Cordey. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cordey today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cordey births was 2008 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cordey. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cordey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2008
6 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2009 SSA rank
#12,852
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Cordey: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Cordey by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cordey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Cordey
The name Cordey is believed to have its origins in the Old French language, where it was derived from the word "corde," meaning "cord" or "rope." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a occupational surname for those involved in rope-making or related trades during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cordey can be found in the 13th-century French epic poem "La Chanson de Roland," which mentions a character named Cordey, a knight in the service of Charlemagne. This literary reference indicates that the name was in use as a given name by that time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Cordey de Montfort, a French knight, is mentioned in various chronicles of the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He was known for his bravery and loyalty to the French crown during the conflict.
During the Renaissance era, a prominent Italian artist named Cordey Ghirlandaio (1449-1494) achieved recognition for his frescoes and paintings in churches and chapels across Florence and Rome. His real name was Domenico di Tommaso Bigordi, but he adopted the nickname "Ghirlandaio," which means "garland maker" in Italian, likely due to his family's association with the garland-making trade.
In the 17th century, a French playwright and actor named Cordey Quinault (1635-1688) gained fame for his contributions to the development of the tragédie en musique, a form of French opera. His works were highly acclaimed and performed at the court of Louis XIV.
Another notable figure bearing the name Cordey was Sir Cordey Raleigh (1552-1618), an English writer, poet, and explorer who was an influential figure during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He was known for his expeditions to the Americas and his efforts in establishing the first English colony in Virginia, as well as for his literary works such as "The Discovery of the Large, Rich, and Beautiful Empire of Guiana."
These examples illustrate the diverse historical contexts and fields in which individuals bearing the name Cordey have made their mark, ranging from literature and the arts to military service and exploration.
People
Cordey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cordey as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cordey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cordey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cordey going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Cordey a common name?
We classify Cordey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cordey most popular?
The single biggest year for Cordey was 2008, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cordey is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cordey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cordey a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cordey in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cordey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cordey in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cordey can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Cordey?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.