girl's name
Kora
KOR-uh (English)
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 10,400
the United States
#492
2025 births
Kora is a girl's name meaning "maiden," a K spelling of Cora from the Greek kore. In mythology Kore was a title of Persephone, and in West Africa a kora is a twenty-one-string harp, which gives the spelling a second life.
- Kora is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2022, when 682 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 5,498 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1942.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Kora Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1940s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 5 |
| 1950s | 0 |
| 1960s | 18 |
| 1970s | 55 |
| 1980s | 121 |
| 1990s | 419 |
| 2000s | 1,106 |
| 2010s | 4,092 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,725 |
What Kora Means
Kora means maiden or girl. Through the spelling Cora, it's linked with Persephone, daughter of Demeter, whose yearly return from the underworld brings the spring.
Where Kora Comes From
Greek kore meant a young woman or a daughter, and it was a title for Persephone. Cora spread in English after 1826, when James Fenimore Cooper gave the name to Cora Munro, a heroine of The Last of the Mohicans. Wikipedia also notes a rare Gaelic link to cora, the comparative of cóir, just. The K spelling is a modern choice, and the West African kora, played by griots of the Mande people, has an unrelated name.
Kora in Use
The kora has been associated with Malian masters such as Toumani Diabaté. Greek art preserves many statues of young women called korai, the plural of the same word.
How Popular Is Kora?
In 2025, Kora was given to 603 babies in the United States, ranking #492 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Kora Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Kora
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Kora Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Kora over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Kora
- English KOR-uh
Kora in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Dutch
- Cora
Sibling Names for Kora
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Kora — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Kora
What does the name Kora mean?
Maiden, from Greek kore.
Is Kora the same as Cora?
Yes. Kora is a K spelling.
What is a kora?
A West African harp with twenty-one strings.
How popular is the name Kora?
In 2025, Kora was given to 603 babies in the United States, ranking #492 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Is Kora a girl's or a boy's name?
Kora is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Kora?
Kora has 2 syllables.
When was Kora most popular?
Kora peaked in 2022, when 682 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Kora a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Kora currently ranks #492 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.