Corinna
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "maiden" or "young girl".
Name Census estimates that about 6,157 living Americans carry the first name Corinna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Corinna today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Corinna births was 1970 (225 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Corinna. 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
6.2K
~ 1 in 55,669 Americans
Peak year
1970
225 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,972
Tracked since 1881
Popularity
Corinna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Corinna from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 1,694 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Corinna 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 Corinna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Corinnas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 29 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Corinna, while Maryland, Iowa, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 125 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Corinna
The name Corinna has its origins in the Greek language and culture, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Greek word "kore," which means "maiden" or "young girl." The name can also be traced back to the word "korone," meaning "crow" or "raven."
In ancient Greek mythology, Corinna was the name of a celebrated lyric poet from Tanagra in Boeotia, who lived around the 5th century BC. She was known for her poetry and was said to have been a teacher and lover of the famous poet Pindar. Her works, unfortunately, have not survived, but her name has been immortalized in literary history.
The name Corinna also appears in the works of the Roman poet Ovid, who wrote about a fictional character named Corinna in his collection of elegies called "Amores." In these poems, Ovid portrays Corinna as his lover and muse, though her real identity remains unknown.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Corinna can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Pausanias, who lived in the 2nd century AD. He mentioned a woman named Corinna from Tanagra who was a renowned painter and sculptor.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Corinna. One of the most famous was Corinna Lohrian (1732-1782), a German writer and translator known for her work in popularizing English literature in Germany. Another notable Corinna was Corinna Thurso (1775-1863), a British author and socialite who was a patron of the arts and a friend of Lord Byron.
Other notable Corinnas include Corinna Bille (1912-1979), a Swiss writer and painter; Corinna Tsopei (1944-2022), a Greek actress and theater director; and Corinna Harney (1960-), an American author and editor known for her works on sustainable living and environmental issues.
The name Corinna has a rich history and has been carried by various accomplished women throughout the ages, from poets and artists to authors and actresses. Its Greek roots and associations with literature and the arts have contributed to its enduring appeal and significance.
People
Corinna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Corinna 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
Corinna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Corinna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6,157 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Corinna 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 55,669 US residents.
Is Corinna a common name?
We classify Corinna as "Rare". It ranks above 96.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,076 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Corinna most popular?
The single biggest year for Corinna was 1970, when 225 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Corinna is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Corinna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Corinna in the SSA data are female. 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.