2000
#14,288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,923
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Cordray
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "corde," meaning "rope," likely referring to a rope maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,101 Americans carry the last name Cordray. That puts it at #15,413 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,139 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cordray surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 163,139
Census rank
#15,413
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,832 bearers of the surname Cordray in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15413th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cordray, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cordray
The surname Cordray has its origins in France, where it likely emerged sometime during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old French words "corde" and "rai," which together translate to "cord maker" or "rope maker," suggesting the name's earliest bearers were involved in the production of ropes or cords.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cordray name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landholders in England following the Norman Conquest. The name appears as "Cordrei," a variation that reflects the linguistic evolution of the surname over time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Jean Cordray was recorded in the historical records of the city of Rouen in Normandy, France. Unfortunately, little is known about his life or accomplishments, but his name serves as an early example of the surname's presence in France.
During the 16th century, the Cordray name began to spread more widely across Europe. In Germany, a merchant named Hans Cordray (1525-1592) is documented as having established a successful trading business in the city of Hamburg.
As the name spread, variations in spelling became more common. In England, the surname appeared as Cordrey, Cordray, and Cordery, among other variations, reflecting the challenges of consistent spelling in earlier eras.
One of the most prominent individuals with the Cordray surname was the French philosopher and writer, Jacques Cordray (1677-1745), who authored several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy.
Another notable figure was the English explorer and cartographer, William Cordray (1732-1810), who played a significant role in mapping the Pacific Northwest region of what is now the United States and Canada.
In the 19th century, the Cordray name gained further recognition with the birth of Marie Cordray (1854-1932), a French painter and sculptor celebrated for her works depicting rural life in her native Normandy region.
As the centuries passed, the Cordray name continued to spread across various parts of Europe and eventually to other continents, carried by migrants and travelers seeking new opportunities and experiences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cordray
Among Census respondents with the surname Cordray, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cordray bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cordray surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 1,603
- Two or more races4.1% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 71
- Black or African American2.0% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cordray
Cordray appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,098
+175 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 14 places
2020
#15,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,832
-266 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 1,139 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,288 | 1,923 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,274 | 2,098 | 0.71 | +175 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 14 places |
| 2020 | #15,413 | 1,832 | 0.61 | -266 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 1,139 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cordray surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,274 | #15,413 | -8.0% |
| Count | 2,098 | 1,832 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.61 | -13.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cordray bearers went from 2,098 to 1,832 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 1,139 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,274 to #15,413.
FAQ
Cordray surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cordray?
Name Census estimates that about 2,101 living Americans carry the surname Cordray. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,139 residents.
How common is Cordray?
Cordray ranks #15,413 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,832 people with the surname Cordray. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,101), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cordray.
Has Cordray become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cordray went from 2,098 recorded bearers to 1,832. That is a decrease of 266 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,274 to #15,413.
What does the Census say about the background of Cordray?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cordray, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cordray in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (1,603 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cordray appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cordray (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cordray mean?
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "corde," meaning "rope," likely referring to a rope maker. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cordray (0.61 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Cordray?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.