Head to head · Girls' names
Cora vs Rose
#113 vs #114 in 2025
Cora is a whisker ahead (#113 vs #114 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Cora is stepping back from its peak, Rose is holding its place on the charts. On momentum, Rose has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Cora and Rose each lead 2 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Cora #24, Rose #29 — Cora higher
- 1890s: Cora #46, Rose #22 — Rose higher
- 1900s: Cora #71, Rose #18 — Rose higher
- 1910s: Cora #109, Rose #16 — Rose higher
- 1920s: Cora #150, Rose #24 — Rose higher
- 1930s: Cora #171, Rose #36 — Rose higher
- 1940s: Cora #232, Rose #55 — Rose higher
- 1950s: Cora #363, Rose #66 — Rose higher
- 1960s: Cora #540, Rose #133 — Rose higher
- 1970s: Cora #720, Rose #236 — Rose higher
- 1980s: Cora #774, Rose #259 — Rose higher
- 1990s: Cora #688, Rose #329 — Rose higher
- 2000s: Cora #409, Rose #336 — Rose higher
- 2010s: Cora #127, Rose #200 — Cora higher
- 2020s: Cora #93, Rose #117 — Cora higher
Rose stood higher in 12 of 15 decades; Cora has held the lead since the 2010s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Cora | Rose |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #24 | #29 |
| 1890s | #46 | #22 |
| 1900s | #71 | #18 |
| 1910s | #109 | #16 |
| 1920s | #150 | #24 |
| 1930s | #171 | #36 |
| 1940s | #232 | #55 |
| 1950s | #363 | #66 |
| 1960s | #540 | #133 |
| 1970s | #720 | #236 |
| 1980s | #774 | #259 |
| 1990s | #688 | #329 |
| 2000s | #409 | #336 |
| 2010s | #127 | #200 |
| 2020s | #93 | #117 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Cora
- Scotland#77
Rose
- France#6
- Canada#38
- England & Wales#59
- Scotland#71
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Cora
maiden, young woman
From Greek korē. The same word was used as an epithet of Persephone. Cora also does double duty in English as a short form of longer names — Cordelia, Cornelia, Coraline, Coral — so some families arrive at it from that direction instead.
Korē → Cora
How it traveled
The root is the Greek korē, "maiden" or "girl", a word that also served as a title for Persephone in her role as daughter. Latinized to Cora, it sat mostly in classical texts until the eighteenth century, when English writers began using it as a given name.
Rose
the flower; originally famous kind
Both readings are genuine and they belong to different periods. The Germanic compound is the older source of the English name; the flower is what the name has meant to everyone using it for several centuries. Neither can be dismissed.
Hrodohaidis → Rohese → Rose
How it traveled
The flower carried a specific job in European convention: it meant silence. A rose hung or carved above a table declared that whatever was said beneath it was not to be repeated, and the Latin phrase for under the rose is still used in English to mean confidentially.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Cora
KOR-uh
Stress on the first syllable. English speakers reach it on the first try; the main confusion is spelling rather than sound, since Kora is used in German and Polish.
- Coco — Informal, used within families and among friends; also stands alone as a given name for some.
- Cori — Informal spoken short form; also an independent given name in its own right.
- Corrie — Informal, more common in older generations and in British usage.
- Cor — Clipped and affectionate, mostly household use.
Rose
ROHZ
One syllable ending in a z. The final e is silent in English and sounded in Italian and Spanish, which give the name an extra syllable.
- Rosie — An affectionate ending; warm and used far more than the plain name in childhood.
- Ro — Cut to the opening sound; short, current and completely unfussy.
Who has carried each name
Cora
No documented entry for Cora yet.
Rose
Rose Byrne (b. 1979) — Bridesmaids scene-stealer
Rose Leslie (b. 1987) — Game of Thrones' Ygritte
Rose of Lima (b. 1586) — First Catholic saint of the Americas
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Cora if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsCora is stepping back from its peak
- a name with more sound in itCora runs 2 syllables, Rose 1
- plenty of nickname options4 recorded short forms — Coco, Cori and Corrie
Choose Rose if you want…
- a name with fewer syllablesRose is 1 syllable to Cora's 2
- a name that charts abroad tooRose is on the national lists of France, Canada, England & Wales and Scotland
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Cora
Strengths
- Two syllables, five letters, and pronounced as it looks for most English speakers — little correcting required.
- A documented line back to ancient Greek, with unbroken use in American records since they began.
- Works as a full name or as the short form of Cordelia, Cornelia, Coraline and Coral, which gives a family options either way.
To consider
- It sits in a dense field of near-rhymes: Nora, Dora, Aurora, Laura, Coraline. Expect the occasional mix-up, and think about how it sits next to siblings' names.
- Kora is the standard spelling in several European languages, so the C is worth spelling out when it matters.
- Most people currently carrying the name in the US are of grandparent or great-grandparent age, so some listeners will hear it as an older family name — which is exactly why others are drawn to it.
Rose
Strengths
- One syllable, unmistakable, and recognized in every European language.
- It has been in continuous use for the entire length of the written record.
- Rosie sits inside it as a short form with a completely different warmth.
To consider
- It is currently fashionable again, so a child may not be the only one nearby.
- It is a very common middle name, which colors how it reads as a first one.
- The record holds a few boys as well, and the boy is much the smaller side.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Cora and Rose in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Cora and Rose?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
- Short and sweet: names of four letters or fewer
- The sweet spot: familiar but not everywhere
- all guides
Every list here names both Cora and Rose — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Cora or Rose — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Cora or Rose?
- Cora, in 2025: Cora ranked #113 with 2,428 babies; Rose ranked #114 with 2,386 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Cora or Rose?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Cora moved down 25 places; Rose moved down 2 places.
- Which is the older name, Cora or Rose?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Cora and Rose?
- About 76,500 people named Cora are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 204,000 people named Rose are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Coras or Roses in the classroom?
- Cora will almost certainly be the only one in school. Rose will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Cora, Rose and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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