At a glance
- U.S. rank 2025
- #778 of boy names
- Babies in 2025
- 327 (0.018% of boys)
- Trend
- Slipping #530 in 2020 to #778 in 2025
- Peak
- #52 in 1977
- First recorded
- 1919
Meaning of Corey
Corey (said like KOR-ee) bursts onto the scene like a maraca shake at a street fiesta—quick, bright, impossible to ignore. The tale begins in emerald-green Ireland, where the Gaelic word “coire” meant a little hollow in the hills, a snug spot that cradles a stream; some storytellers add a Viking twist, linking it to the Old Norse “Kóri,” a playful nod to curly hair. Either way, Corey feels breezy and adventurous, a name that zip-lines between Celtic cliffs and Caribbean beaches. Pop culture has sprinkled stardust on it—think actor Corey Feldman rocking the ’80s, singer Corey Taylor roaring on stage, or shortstop Corey Seager cracking homers like piñatas. His popularity in the U.S. peaked when neon legwarmers ruled, then mellowed into a steady rhythm, proving that Corey is a classic groove rather than a one-hit wonder. Parents love that it’s friendly as a sunny hola, easy to spell, and full of corazón. Give a boy this name and he’ll carry a pocketful of Irish luck, Viking courage, and Latin zest wherever he roams.
How to pronounce Corey
American English
- Pronounced KOR-ee /ˈkɔri/
British English
- Pronounced KAWR-ee /ˈkɔːri/
Popularity of Corey in the U.S.
Corey was the #778 boy name in the U.S. in 2025, with 327 babies. It peaked at #52 in 1977 and has been in the top 1,000 since 1949. It first appears in the records in 1919.
- Rank among U.S. boy names (right scale, #1 at the top)
Year-by-year table, 1919–2025 92 rows
| Year | Babies | Rank | vs previous year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 327 | 778 | ▼ 101 |
| 2024 | 403 | 677 | ▼ 35 |
| 2023 | 430 | 642 | ▼ 8 |
| 2022 | 437 | 634 | ▼ 82 |
| 2021 | 517 | 552 | ▼ 22 |
| 2020 | 539 | 530 | ▼ 39 |
| 2019 | 586 | 491 | ▼ 26 |
| 2018 | 623 | 465 | ▲ 2 |
| 2017 | 650 | 467 | ▼ 52 |
| 2016 | 770 | 415 | ▼ 3 |
| 2015 | 755 | 412 | ▼ 28 |
| 2014 | 809 | 384 | ▼ 26 |
| 2013 | 879 | 358 | ▼ 7 |
| 2012 | 880 | 351 | ▼ 38 |
| 2011 | 1,027 | 313 | ▲ 3 |
| 2010 | 1,011 | 316 | ▼ 22 |
| 2009 | 1,124 | 294 | ▼ 7 |
| 2008 | 1,184 | 287 | ▼ 36 |
| 2007 | 1,403 | 251 | ▼ 17 |
| 2006 | 1,534 | 234 | ▼ 21 |
| 2005 | 1,705 | 213 | ▼ 2 |
| 2004 | 1,674 | 211 | ▼ 12 |
| 2003 | 1,887 | 199 | ▼ 18 |
| 2002 | 2,105 | 181 | ▼ 13 |
| 2001 | 2,245 | 168 | ▼ 19 |
| 2000 | 2,607 | 149 | ▼ 14 |
| 1999 | 2,827 | 135 | ▼ 20 |
| 1998 | 3,201 | 115 | ▼ 5 |
| 1997 | 3,416 | 110 | ▼ 16 |
| 1996 | 4,087 | 94 | ▼ 20 |
| 1995 | 4,976 | 74 | ▼ 1 |
| 1994 | 5,279 | 73 | ▼ 5 |
| 1993 | 5,674 | 68 | ▼ 3 |
| 1992 | 6,140 | 65 | ▼ 7 |
| 1991 | 6,931 | 58 | ▼ 2 |
| 1990 | 7,692 | 56 | ▼ 1 |
| 1989 | 8,003 | 55 | ▲ 1 |
| 1988 | 7,328 | 56 | ▲ 1 |
| 1987 | 6,444 | 57 | ▲ 5 |
| 1986 | 5,762 | 62 | ▲ 1 |
| 1985 | 5,228 | 63 | ▲ 6 |
| 1984 | 4,243 | 69 | ▲ 5 |
| 1983 | 3,967 | 74 | – |
| 1982 | 3,939 | 74 | ▼ 5 |
| 1981 | 4,247 | 69 | ▼ 1 |
| 1980 | 4,437 | 68 | ▼ 5 |
| 1979 | 4,738 | 63 | ▼ 2 |
| 1978 | 4,942 | 61 | ▼ 9 |
| 1977 | 6,041 | 52 | ▲ 12 |
| 1976 | 4,432 | 64 | ▲ 7 |
| 1975 | 3,876 | 71 | ▲ 6 |
| 1974 | 3,382 | 77 | ▲ 12 |
| 1973 | 3,019 | 89 | ▲ 6 |
| 1972 | 2,990 | 95 | ▼ 18 |
| 1971 | 3,766 | 77 | ▲ 7 |
| 1970 | 3,814 | 84 | ▼ 26 |
| 1969 | 4,924 | 58 | ▲ 113 |
| 1968 | 1,577 | 171 | ▲ 174 |
| 1967 | 466 | 345 | ▲ 2 |
| 1966 | 465 | 347 | ▼ 10 |
| 1965 | 505 | 337 | ▲ 26 |
| 1964 | 458 | 363 | ▲ 21 |
| 1963 | 427 | 384 | ▼ 1 |
| 1962 | 437 | 383 | ▲ 12 |
| 1961 | 406 | 395 | ▲ 63 |
| 1960 | 303 | 458 | ▲ 4 |
| 1959 | 295 | 462 | ▼ 4 |
| 1958 | 295 | 458 | ▲ 24 |
| 1957 | 261 | 482 | ▼ 44 |
| 1956 | 293 | 438 | ▲ 27 |
| 1955 | 253 | 465 | ▲ 140 |
| 1954 | 149 | 605 | ▲ 193 |
| 1953 | 80 | 798 | ▼ 121 |
| 1952 | 105 | 677 | ▲ 175 |
| 1951 | 67 | 852 | ▲ 47 |
| 1950 | 58 | 899 | ▲ 98 |
| 1949 | 49 | 997 | ▲ 176 |
| 1948 | 37 | 1,173 | ▲ 523 |
| 1947 | 20 | 1,696 | ▼ 95 |
| 1946 | 20 | 1,601 | ▼ 156 |
| 1945 | 21 | 1,445 | ▲ 80 |
| 1944 | 20 | 1,525 | ▼ 39 |
| 1943 | 22 | 1,486 | ▼ 152 |
| 1942 | 27 | 1,334 | back (not recorded in 1941) |
| 1940 | 7 | 2,871 | ▼ 422 |
| 1939 | 9 | 2,449 | back (not recorded in 1938) |
| 1937 | 6 | 3,175 | back (not recorded in 1929–1936) |
| 1928 | 5 | 4,151 | back (not recorded in 1927) |
| 1926 | 6 | 3,708 | ▲ 489 |
| 1925 | 5 | 4,197 | back (not recorded in 1922–1924) |
| 1921 | 5 | 4,322 | back (not recorded in 1920) |
| 1919 | 5 | 4,168 | new |
Corey by state
Corey ranks #438 in South Carolina (2025).
Rank by state 24 states
| State | Rank | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 438 | 11 |
| Louisiana | 450 | 10 |
| Massachusetts | 467 | 10 |
| Missouri | 518 | 11 |
| Mississippi | 522 | 5 |
| New Jersey | 543 | 13 |
| Oklahoma | 552 | 7 |
| Maryland | 571 | 8 |
| Ohio | 595 | 16 |
| North Carolina | 621 | 15 |
| Kentucky | 625 | 6 |
| Georgia | 650 | 15 |
| Indiana | 668 | 9 |
| Florida | 704 | 22 |
| Pennsylvania | 704 | 12 |
| New York | 716 | 20 |
| Alabama | 765 | 5 |
| Virginia | 798 | 8 |
| California | 807 | 30 |
| Arizona | 844 | 6 |
| Michigan | 905 | 7 |
| Tennessee | 927 | 6 |
| Illinois | 935 | 8 |
| Texas | 1,012 | 23 |
Notable people named Corey
- Corey Haim was a Canadian actor who became a 1980s teen heartthrob, best known for his role in The Lost Boys and his iconic partnership with Corey Feldman as The Two Coreys.
- Corey Taylor is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist of Slipknot and the lead vocalist and guitarist of Stone Sour.
- Corey Feldman is an American actor and musician famous for his roles in 1980s films and his collaborations with Corey Haim.
- Corey Hart is a celebrated Canadian singer-songwriter known for hits like "Sunglasses at Night," with over 16 million records sold and inductions into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
- Corey Perry is a Canadian NHL right winger for the Los Angeles Kings who won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks.
More people named Corey 8 more
- Corey Seager is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Texas Rangers, widely regarded as one of the best of his generation.
- Corey Anderson is an American mixed martial artist who currently holds the PFL Light Heavyweight World Championship and has previously won titles in Bellator and achieved success in the UFC.
- Corey Damon Davis is a former NFL wide receiver who set the NCAA career receiving yards record at Western Michigan, was drafted fifth overall by the Tennessee Titans in 2017, and later played for the New York Jets.
- McKenzie Corey Dickerson is a former American professional baseball left fielder who played for multiple MLB teams throughout his career.
- Corey Yuen Kwai is a Hong Kong film director and action choreographer who trained at the China Drama Academy and contributed to iconic movies like Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury.
- Corey Robin is an American political theorist and professor known for his books on political fear and conservatism, including a recent study of Clarence Thomas's jurisprudence rooted in black nationalism.
- Corey Hirsch is a Canadian former NHL goaltender who played for the Vancouver Canucks and later coached for the St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs.
- Corey Hertzog is an American professional soccer forward.