2000
#2,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,488
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.74
Uncommon Last name
Corey
Derived from the Old Norse personal name "Kori," meaning "ravine," "dell," or "cauldron-shaped hollow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,176 Americans carry the last name Corey. That puts it at #2,496 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,189 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Corey 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Corey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,189
Census rank
#2,496
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,106 bearers of the surname Corey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2496th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Corey, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Corey
The surname Corey has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "coree," meaning "settlement" or "small village." This name was likely given to someone who lived in or near a small hamlet or rural area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Corey appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and their properties commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Willelmus de Coreia, whose name suggests a connection to a place called Corey or a similar spelling.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Corey was prevalent in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Devon. Variations in spelling were common, including Cory, Corie, and Corye, reflecting the diverse dialects and writing conventions of the time.
One notable bearer of the Corey surname was Sir John Corey, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. Records indicate that he participated in the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and the Siege of Calais in 1347.
Another significant individual with the Corey surname was William Corey (c. 1580-1670), an English colonist who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 17th century. He was among the first settlers of the town of Roxbury and played a crucial role in the establishment of the community.
In the 18th century, the Corey surname gained prominence with the birth of Elijah Corey (1737-1808), an American farmer and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He is renowned for his participation in the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.
The surname Corey also has connections to various place names in England, such as Cory Rivell in Somerset and Cory Farm in Devon. These locations may have influenced the development and geographical distribution of the surname.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Corey surname, including Robert Corey (1738-1823), an American politician and judge who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, and Giles Corey (c. 1611-1692), a farmer from Salem, Massachusetts, who was pressed to death during the Salem Witch Trials for refusing to enter a plea.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Corey
Among Census respondents with the surname Corey, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Corey 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 Corey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 12,132
- Black or African American5.3% · 749
- Two or more races3.8% · 533
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 508
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 74
Timeline
Historical Census data for Corey
Corey 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
#2,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,569
+81 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 5.28
Rank movement Down 191 places
2020
#2,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,106
-1,463 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 4.72
Rank movement Down 156 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,149 | 15,488 | 5.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,340 | 15,569 | 5.28 | +81 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 191 places |
| 2020 | #2,496 | 14,106 | 4.72 | -1,463 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 156 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 Corey 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 | #2,340 | #2,496 | -6.7% |
| Count | 15,569 | 14,106 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.28 | 4.72 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Corey bearers went from 15,569 to 14,106 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 156 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,340 to #2,496.
FAQ
Corey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Corey?
Name Census estimates that about 16,176 living Americans carry the surname Corey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,189 residents.
How common is Corey?
Corey ranks #2,496 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,106 people with the surname Corey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,176), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Corey.
Has Corey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Corey went from 15,569 recorded bearers to 14,106. That is a decrease of 1,463 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,340 to #2,496.
What does the Census say about the background of Corey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Corey, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Corey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (12,132 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Corey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Black (5.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Corey (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 Corey mean?
Derived from the Old Norse personal name "Kori," meaning "ravine," "dell," or "cauldron-shaped hollow." 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 Corey (4.72 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 Americans have the surname Corey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.