Corkey
An old diminutive of Cork, a rough Irish surname.
Name Census estimates that about 28 living Americans carry the first name Corkey. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Corkey today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Corkey births was 1960 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Corkey. 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 Corkey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
28
~ 1 in 12,241,226 Americans
Peak year
1960
7 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
1973 SSA rank
#4,600
Tracked since 1955
Popularity
Corkey: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Corkey from the 1950s through to the 1970s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 12 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Corkey 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 Corkey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Corkey
The name Corkey is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic culture, dating back to the early medieval period around the 5th century AD. It is thought to be derived from the Old Irish word "corc," which meant "marsh" or "swamp." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a marshy area or was associated with such a location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Corkey can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In this text, there is a mention of a man named Corkey mac Aodha, who lived in the 9th century AD. He is described as a chieftain from the northern region of Ireland, indicating that the name had already gained some prominence during this time period.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Corkey appeared to be particularly prevalent in Ireland and Scotland, where it was likely influenced by the Gaelic language and cultural traditions. One notable figure bearing this name was Corkey O'Neill, a 14th-century Irish nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the ongoing conflicts between the Irish clans and the English forces.
As the use of surnames became more widespread in Europe during the late medieval period, the name Corkey was sometimes adopted as a surname, particularly in areas with strong Irish or Scottish heritage. However, it is important to note that this report focuses solely on the history of Corkey as a given name.
In the 16th century, there are records of a Corkey MacLeod, a Scottish highlander who was known for his skills as a warrior and his loyalty to the MacLeod clan. Another individual of note was Corkey O'Shaughnessy, an Irish poet and bard who lived in the late 17th century and was renowned for his eloquent compositions celebrating the exploits of various clan leaders.
Moving into the 18th century, one of the most well-known figures with the name Corkey was Corkey Finnegan, an Irish revolutionary who participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1798. Despite his eventual capture and execution, Finnegan's legacy as a patriot and fighter for Irish independence has endured through the centuries.
While the name Corkey may have become less common in recent times, its rich history and connections to the Celtic cultures of Ireland and Scotland serve as a testament to the enduring influence of ancient traditions and the importance of preserving linguistic and cultural heritage.
People
Corkey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Corkey 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
Corkey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Corkey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 28 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Corkey 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 12,241,226 US residents.
Is Corkey a common name?
We classify Corkey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 45.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 34 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Corkey most popular?
The single biggest year for Corkey was 1960, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Corkey is about 64 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 Corkey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Corkey a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Corkey 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 Corkey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Corkey 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 Corkey 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 Corkey?
See how many people have the name Corkey on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.