NameCensus.

UK name, mostly boys

Corey

A unisex name of English origin, meaning "from the hollow or valley".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Corey is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Corey popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #519, with 75 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2006, with 834 births.

This profile covers 12,622 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 9% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 15,280 living people in the UK are called Corey. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Corey ranked #519 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 75 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2006, when 834 boys were registered as Corey.
  • Corey ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #181 in 2024.
  • About 15,280 living people in the UK are estimated to have Corey as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
  • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 98.9% of Corey registrations are for boys.

Latest rank (E&W)

#519

2024

Births in 2024

75

Latest year

Peak year

2006

834 births

Estimated living

15,280

2026

Gender

Boy and girl registrations for Corey

In England and Wales birth records, Corey has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 98.9% of registrations are for boys and 1.1% are for girls.

These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.

99% boys
Boys12,622 (98.9%)Girls145 (1.1%)

Corey registered for boys

  • Ranked #519 in 2024
  • 75 boys registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2006 (834 births)

Corey registered for girls

  • Ranked #4,763 in 2016
  • 4 girls registered in 2016
  • Peak: 1996 (21 births)

Meaning

What does Corey mean?

The name Corey has its origins in the Old English language and is derived from the word 'cor', which means 'valley'. It was originally a surname that referred to someone who lived in or near a small valley or hollow.

In the 12th century, the name appeared as 'Corey' in the Domesday Book, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was already in use as a surname during the Norman conquest of England.

By the 13th century, the name had evolved into a given name, with the earliest recorded instance being Corey de Bohun, a nobleman who lived during the reign of King Henry III (1216-1272).

One of the earliest notable figures with the name Corey was Sir Corey Enfield (1370-1437), a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France.

In the 16th century, the name gained popularity among Puritan settlers in America, with Corey Brewster (1585-1659) being one of the earliest recorded bearers of the name in the New World. He was a prominent figure in the Plymouth Colony and served as an elder of the Pilgrim church.

Another notable figure was Corey Winslow (1595-1673), who was one of the founders of the town of Marshfield, Massachusetts, and served as its first pastor.

In the 19th century, Corey Wilkins (1810-1888) was a successful businessman and philanthropist in Boston, known for his contributions to education and social welfare.

During the American Civil War, Corey Harris (1835-1862) was a Union soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Battle of Antietam.

In the literary world, Corey Sinclair (1863-1914) was a British author and playwright who wrote several popular novels and plays in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Corey over time

The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Corey in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Corey, the clearest high point is 2006. The latest England and Wales figure is 75 births in 2024, compared with 834 at the peak.

Babies born per year

BoysGirls
0210420629839199620102024

Decades

Corey by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Corey was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #383 593 5
2010s #165 3,951 10
2000s #98 5,947 10
1990s #99 2,131 4

Geography

Where Corey is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Corey. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Corey ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #181 in 2024.

Scotland
24
Northern Ireland
9

Across the UK

Corey in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#181 in 2024

36 years of NRS records, 1,629 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#216 in 2024

28 years of NISRA records, 1,154 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Corey

  • Corey Hill

    basketball player

    British basketball player (born 2007)

    2007-

  • Corey Smith

    association football player

    Caymanian footballer

    2002-

  • Corey Circelli

    figure skater; ice dancer

    Italian figure skater

    2002-

  • Corey Johnson

    rugby league player

    English rugby league player

    2000-

  • Corey Jordan

    association football player

    association football player (born 1999)

    1999-

  • Corey Mylchreest

    actor

    British actor

    1998-

  • Corey O'Keeffe

    association football player

    association football player

    1998-

  • Corey Baldwin

    rugby union player

    Welsh rugby player

    1998-

Related

Names similar to Corey

FAQ

Corey: questions and answers

How popular is the name Corey in the UK right now?

In 2024, Corey was ranked #519 for boys in England and Wales, with 75 births registered.

When was Corey most popular?

The peak year on record was 2006, with 834 babies registered as Corey in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Corey?

A unisex name of English origin, meaning "from the hollow or valley".

How many people are called Corey in the UK?

A total of 12,622 babies have been registered as Corey across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 1,629 more in Scotland and 1,154 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Corey most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Corey ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #181 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.