UK name, mostly boys
Kori
A feminine Japanese name meaning "ice" or "frozen".
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.
Also recorded as a girls' name in the UK, with 58 girls.
Kori is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Kori popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2023 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4991, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2005, with 22 births.
This profile covers 242 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2023. 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 14% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 270 living people in the UK are called Kori. 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
- • Kori ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales in 2023, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2005, when 22 boys were registered as Kori.
- • Kori ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #375 in 2011.
- • Kori is also recorded for girls, but the boys side is the larger UK variant in these records.
- • About 270 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kori as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 80.7% of Kori registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4991
2023
Births in 2023
3
Latest year
Peak year
2005
22 births
Estimated living
270
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Kori
In England and Wales birth records, Kori has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 80.7% of registrations are for boys and 19.3% 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.
Kori registered for boys
- Ranked #4,991 in 2023
- 3 boys registered in 2023
- Peak: 2005 (22 births)
Kori registered for girls
- Ranked #4,645 in 2022
- 4 girls registered in 2022
- Peak: 2005 (11 births)
Meaning
What does Kori mean?
The given name Kori has its origins in the Japanese language and culture. It is a feminine name that can be traced back to the Heian period (794-1185 CE) in Japan. The name Kori is derived from the Japanese word "kori," which means "little basket" or "small container." This name was likely given to girls with the hope that they would be graceful, feminine, and able to carry and hold precious things, both tangible and intangible.
In ancient Japanese folklore and literature, there are references to the name Kori, often associated with characters who embodied traits of gentleness, elegance, and beauty. One notable example is the character Kori-no-Hime, a princess from the classic Japanese novel "The Tale of Genji" written by Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kori can be traced back to the 12th century in Japan. One of the earliest known individuals with this name was Kori-no-Tsubone, a court lady who served during the reign of Emperor Go-Toba (1180-1239 CE).
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kori:
1. Kori Ubusuna (1483-1528), a Japanese female poet and calligrapher during the Muromachi period. 2. Kori Tomonobu (1589-1633), a Japanese samurai and daimyo (feudal lord) who served under the Tokugawa shogunate. 3. Kori Kumazawa (1619-1691), a prominent Japanese painter and calligrapher during the Edo period. 4. Kori Kurayoshi (1752-1828), a Japanese scholar and poet who served as a court advisor during the Edo period. 5. Kori Tomioka (1836-1905), a Japanese diplomat and statesman who played a significant role in the modernization of Japan during the Meiji Restoration.
While the name Kori is primarily associated with Japanese culture, it has also been adopted in other parts of the world, although with varying meanings and origins. It is important to note that this report focuses solely on the history and meaning of the given name Kori from a Japanese perspective.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kori over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Kori in England and Wales, from 1996 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 Kori, the clearest high point is 2005. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2023, compared with 22 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kori by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kori 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 | #3978 | 18 | 4 |
| 2010s | #2599 | 81 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1649 | 114 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1594 | 29 | 4 |
Geography
Where Kori is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kori. 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.
Kori ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #375 in 2011.
Across the UK
Kori in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#619 in 2024
6 years of NRS records, 21 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#375 in 2011
2 years of NISRA records, 9 total registered
Related
Names similar to Kori
- Kieran 30,429
- Kyle 28,463
- Kai 24,432
- Kian 17,666
- Kayden 8,305
- Kevin 7,927
- Kane 7,149
- Kaiden 5,762
- Kieron 4,547
- Kacper 4,366
- Kye 4,012
- Kit 3,529
FAQ
Kori: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kori in the UK right now?
In 2023, Kori was ranked #4991 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Kori most popular?
The peak year on record was 2005, with 22 babies registered as Kori in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kori?
A feminine Japanese name meaning "ice" or "frozen".
How many people are called Kori in the UK?
A total of 242 babies have been registered as Kori across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 21 more in Scotland and 9 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Kori most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kori ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #375 in 2011. 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.