Cora
Cora comes from the Greek "korē," meaning maiden or young woman. In Greek mythology, Korē was an epithet of Persephone, the daughter of Demeter who was abducted by Hades and became queen of the underworld. The name thus carries a dual identity — the maiden of spring and the queen of the dead. Cora was a top-30 American name from 1880 to 1900, then declined through the 20th century. It nearly fell out of the top 1000 in the 1980s. Then came the vintage revival. Cora re-entered the top 200 in 2014 and continues to climb. The character Cora Crawley in "Downton Abbey" (2010-2015) helped restore the name's visibility. Cora (2017), the novel by Norman Collins about a young woman in 1930s London, was republished. What I find compelling about Cora is its duality. The etymology (Persephone) means the name belongs to both spring and the underworld — to life and death. The sound is sharp and clean: the "C" opening is strong, the single "r" gives it weight, and the "a" ending gives it femininity. It is a name with serious literary and mythological depth in just four letters. Cora is a female name of Greek origin that means "Maiden (epithet of Persephone)". Sharp, vintage, and quietly mythological. The name sounds clear. Coras tend to have presence. US top 200 since 2014. Rising. Well-known people named Cora include Cora (Persephone epithet), Cora Crawley (fictional, Downton Abbey), Cora Wilson Stewart (educator), Cora (Norman Collins novel). Common variations and related forms of Cora include Kora (modern variant), Korē (Greek), Coralie (elaboration), Coral (related).