UK boy's name
Cortez
A masculine Spanish given name meaning "courteous" or "polite".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2023. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Cortez is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Cortez popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4107, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2010, with 5 births.
This profile covers 37 England and Wales registrations across 10 recorded years from 2005 to 2023. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 80% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 37 living people in the UK are called Cortez. 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 2024 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Cortez ranked #4107 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2010, when 5 boys were registered as Cortez.
- • About 37 living people in the UK are estimated to have Cortez as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4107
2023
Births in 2023
4
Latest year
Peak year
2010
5 births
Estimated living
37
2026
Meaning
What does Cortez mean?
The given name Cortez is a Spanish name that originated in the 15th century during the Age of Exploration and the Spanish conquest of the Americas. It is derived from the Spanish word "cortés," which means courteous or polite.
The name Cortez is closely associated with Hernán Cortés, the famous Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire in present-day Mexico. Hernán Cortés was born in 1485 in Medellín, Spain, and he arrived in Mexico in 1519, where he eventually conquered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán in 1521.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Cortez can be found in the chronicles of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, which were written by various Spanish conquistadors and historians during the 16th century. These chronicles documented the exploits of Hernán Cortés and his men, and the name Cortez became synonymous with the Spanish conquest of the Americas.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Cortez. Here are five examples:
1. Hernán Cortés (1485-1547), the Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire. 2. Juan Cortés (c. 1451-1527), a Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas. 3. Martín Cortés (1532-1589), the son of Hernán Cortés and his interpreter and mistress, Doña Marina. 4. José Cortés Arredondo (1825-1892), a Mexican general and politician who served as the Governor of Veracruz in the 1860s. 5. Pablo Cortés (1892-1980), a Chilean poet and diplomat who served as the Chilean ambassador to several countries.
While the name Cortez has its origins in Spain and the Spanish conquest of the Americas, it has since spread to other parts of the world and has been adopted by individuals from various cultural backgrounds.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Cortez over time
The chart below shows babies named Cortez registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2005 to 2023. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Cortez, the clearest high point is 2010. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2023, compared with 5 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cortez by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Cortez 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 | #4448 | 7 | 2 |
| 2010s | #4065 | 16 | 4 |
| 2000s | #3853 | 14 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Cortez
- Charlie 104,761
- Callum 65,796
- Connor 53,072
- Cameron 40,394
- Charles 33,091
- Christopher 26,849
- Caleb 15,553
- Corey 12,622
- Carter 11,505
- Cody 11,075
- Conor 10,298
- Christian 9,695
FAQ
Cortez: questions and answers
How popular is the name Cortez in the UK right now?
In 2023, Cortez was ranked #4107 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Cortez most popular?
The peak year on record was 2010, with 5 babies registered as Cortez in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Cortez?
A masculine Spanish given name meaning "courteous" or "polite".
How many people are called Cortez in the UK?
A total of 37 babies have been registered as Cortez across the 10 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
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.