2000
#19,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,249
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Cort
A Scottish surname derived from the French place name "Courtes".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,459 Americans carry the last name Cort. That puts it at #21,007 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 234,924 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cort 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 Cort with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 234,924
Census rank
#21,007
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,272 bearers of the surname Cort in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21007th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cort, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cort
The surname Cort is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "cort," meaning "court" or "courtyard." It first emerged in the regions of Normandy and Brittany during the Middle Ages.
Cort was a common occupational name given to individuals who lived or worked in the courtyard of a manor or castle. It was sometimes used as a descriptive nickname for those who spent significant time in the court or had a connection to the nobility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cort can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cort" and "Corte." This comprehensive survey of land ownership in England, commissioned by William the Conqueror, provides valuable insights into the distribution and prevalence of surnames during that period.
In the 13th century, the surname Cort was found in various forms, such as "de la Cort," "de Cort," and "de Courte," indicating a connection to a specific place or location. These variations often denoted the place of origin or residence of the family.
Notable individuals with the surname Cort throughout history include:
1. Robert Cort (c. 1350 - 1415), an English landowner and member of the gentry from Wiltshire.
2. Jean de Cort (c. 1480 - 1560), a French nobleman and military commander who served under King Francis I during the Italian Wars.
3. Cornelis Cort (1536 - 1578), a renowned Flemish engraver and printmaker who worked in Venice and Rome.
4. William Cort (1572 - 1635), an English ironmaster and inventor who pioneered the puddling process for refining pig iron.
5. Hendrick de Cort (1742 - 1810), a Dutch merchant and explorer who established trading posts in the East Indies.
The surname Cort has been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Cort-sur-Sarthe in France, Court in Belgium, and Courttown in Ireland. These place names often derived from the same root word as the surname, further emphasizing the connection between the name and its geographical origins.
While the surname Cort has undergone minor spelling variations over the centuries, it has maintained a distinct presence in various regions of Europe and has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cort
Among Census respondents with the surname Cort, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cort 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 Cort surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.8% · 786
- Black or African American27.3% · 347
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 62
- Two or more races3.5% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cort
Cort 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
#18,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,458
+209 bearers (+16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Up 1,105 places
2020
#21,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,272
-186 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 2,214 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,898 | 1,249 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,793 | 1,458 | 0.49 | +209 bearers (+16.7%) | Up 1,105 places |
| 2020 | #21,007 | 1,272 | 0.43 | -186 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 2,214 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 Cort 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 | #18,793 | #21,007 | -11.8% |
| Count | 1,458 | 1,272 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.49 | 0.43 | -13.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cort bearers went from 1,458 to 1,272 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 2,214 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,793 to #21,007.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cort
FAQ
Cort surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cort?
Name Census estimates that about 1,459 living Americans carry the surname Cort. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 234,924 residents.
How common is Cort?
Cort ranks #21,007 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,272 people with the surname Cort. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,459), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cort.
Has Cort become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cort went from 1,458 recorded bearers to 1,272. That is a decrease of 186 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,793 to #21,007.
What does the Census say about the background of Cort?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cort, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Cort in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.8% (786 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cort appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.8%), Black (27.3%), Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Cort (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 Cort mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the French place name "Courtes". 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 Cort (0.43 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 Cort?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.