Cordney
Possibly derived from the English surname Cordney, a locational name.
Name Census estimates that about 193 living Americans carry the first name Cordney. It is a predominantly male name (94.1% of registrations). The average person named Cordney today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cordney births was 1987 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cordney. 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.
People living today
193
~ 1 in 1,775,929 Americans
Peak year
1987
25 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2010 SSA rank
#12,605
Tracked since 1972
Gender
Gender distribution for Cordney
Cordney leans heavily male at 94.1% of total registrations, but 12 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Cordney as a male name
- Ranked #12,605 in 2010
- 5 male births in 2010
- Peak: 1988 (22 births)
Cordney as a female name
- Ranked #13,931 in 1993
- 5 female births in 1993
- Peak: 1987 (7 births)
Popularity
Cordney: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cordney from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 118 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cordney 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 Cordney during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cordneys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cordney
The given name Cordney is believed to have its origins in the Old English language, with roots dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period of the 5th to 11th centuries. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "cord," meaning "cord" or "rope," and "ney," a suffix denoting a person or place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cordney can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was in use among the Anglo-Saxon population during the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, a Cordney of Wessex is mentioned in the chronicles of the Benedictine monastery at Abingdon, Oxfordshire. This Cordney is believed to have been a wealthy landowner and benefactor of the monastery.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure bearing the name Cordney was Cordney Willoughby (1515-1589), an English courtier and diplomat who served under Queen Elizabeth I. He was known for his role in negotiating treaties with the Dutch Republic and his advocacy for religious tolerance.
In the 17th century, Cordney Brewster (1619-1687) was a prominent figure in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A Puritan and one of the founders of the town of Duxbury, he served as a deputy to the General Court of Plymouth Colony and played a significant role in the colony's governance.
Another individual of note was Cordney Cavendish (1738-1809), an English aristocrat and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Derby. He was known for his support of the abolition of the slave trade and his advocacy for social reform.
These are just a few examples of individuals who bore the name Cordney throughout history, highlighting its enduring presence across various periods and contexts. While the name may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over time, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon language and culture.
People
Cordney + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cordney 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
Cordney: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cordney?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 193 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cordney 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 1,775,929 US residents.
Is Cordney a common name?
We classify Cordney as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 202 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cordney most popular?
The single biggest year for Cordney was 1987, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cordney is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cordney a male name?
Yes, 94.1% of people registered as Cordney 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.
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.