Given name & surname · also Late Latin
Coral
Coral is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “resembling the semiprecious sea growth; from the reef.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “resembling the semiprecious sea growth; from the reef.”
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Late Latin, although the derivation remains uncertain.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Coral through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 11,162
- 191 boys · 10,971 girls
- Most popular year
- 2004
- 224 babies
- 2025
- 100
- #1,931 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −33%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 100 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,931 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 32.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 224 in 2004. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (21). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 9,062 as a first name in 2020; 801 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Coral’s family of names
Coral has a related form in Coralie. Coral has a related form in Coralee. Coral has a related form in Coralia.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 15
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Coral
- Coral BrowneAustralian actress (1913–1991)
- Coral ButtsworthAustralian tennis player (1900-1985)
- Coral HerreraSpanish feminist writerborn 1977
- Coral BrachoMexican poet and translatorborn 1951
- Coral AtkinsBritish actress (1936-2016)
- Coral-Jade HainesEnglish footballerborn 1996
- Coral BistuerSpanish sportsperson and taekwondo athleteborn 1964
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Coral, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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