2000
#9,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,994
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Corry
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Comhraidhe," meaning "descendant of Comhraidheh" (a person's name meaning "warrior").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,119 Americans carry the last name Corry. That puts it at #11,132 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,892 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Corry 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 Corry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 109,892
Census rank
#11,132
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,720 bearers of the surname Corry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11132nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Corry, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Corry
The surname Corry has its origins in Ireland, where it is thought to have derived from the Irish Gaelic word "Corr," which means "heron." This suggests that the name may have been originally a nickname given to someone who resembled or was associated with the heron bird.
The name first appeared in records in the 16th century, with early spellings including Corre, Correy, and Corrye. One of the earliest documented instances of the surname is found in the Ulster Plantation Grants of 1610, where a John Corry is listed as a landowner in County Fermanagh.
During the 17th century, the Corry surname was well-established in Ulster, particularly in counties Fermanagh and Tyrone. Notable bearers of the name from this period include Sir Trevers Corry, who was a member of the Irish Parliament in the 1630s, and Colonel John Corry, a prominent military figure during the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s.
In the 18th century, the Corry family gained prominence in County Fermanagh, where they owned substantial estates. One of the most notable figures from this era was Isaac Corry (1755-1835), an Irish politician and author who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland.
The 19th century saw members of the Corry family spread to other parts of the British Isles and beyond. One prominent individual was Montagu Corry (1838-1905), a British diplomat and Conservative politician who served as Governor of New South Wales in Australia from 1897 to 1904.
Other notable individuals with the Corry surname include:
1. Eliza Corry (1801-1872), an Irish poet and writer.
2. John Corry (1883-1963), an Irish-American actor and film director.
3. Rachel Corry (1984-), an American actress known for her role in the television series "Scrubs."
4. Thomas Corry (1892-1977), a Canadian politician and farmer who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons.
5. William Corry (1809-1881), an Irish clergyman and author who served as the Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin.
While the Corry surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by individuals and families who have contributed to a diverse range of fields, including politics, literature, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Corry
Among Census respondents with the surname Corry, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Corry 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 Corry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.7% · 2,141
- Black or African American14.3% · 389
- Two or more races3.2% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Corry
Corry 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
#11,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,819
-175 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 1,277 places
2020
#11,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,720
-99 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,939 | 2,994 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,216 | 2,819 | 0.96 | -175 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 1,277 places |
| 2020 | #11,132 | 2,720 | 0.91 | -99 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 84 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 Corry 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 | #11,216 | #11,132 | 0.7% |
| Count | 2,819 | 2,720 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.91 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Corry bearers went from 2,819 to 2,720 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,216 to #11,132.
FAQ
Corry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Corry?
Name Census estimates that about 3,119 living Americans carry the surname Corry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,892 residents.
How common is Corry?
Corry ranks #11,132 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,720 people with the surname Corry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Corry.
Has Corry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Corry went from 2,819 recorded bearers to 2,720. That is a decrease of 99 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,216 to #11,132.
What does the Census say about the background of Corry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Corry, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Corry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.7% (2,141 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Corry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.7%), Black (14.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Corry (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 Corry mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Comhraidhe," meaning "descendant of Comhraidheh" (a person's name meaning "warrior"). 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 Corry (0.91 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 have the last name Corry?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Corry at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.