Coraline
Coraline is a feminine given name, usually considered a French diminutive of the name Coral, which is derived from the name for the precious coral used to make jewelry. It was first used by French composer Adolphe Adam for a character in his 1849 comic opera Le toréador. As a diminutive of Coral, the name is traditionally pronounced with an een ending.
- Literature
- French
Meaning & Origin of Coraline
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Coraline is a feminine given name, usually considered a French diminutive of the name Coral, which is derived from the name for the precious coral used to make jewelry. It was first used by French composer Adolphe Adam for a character in his 1849 comic opera Le toréador. As a diminutive of Coral, the name is traditionally pronounced with an een ending.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Literature
- French
The Story of Coraline
American parents first put Coraline on the record books as a baby girl name in 1970, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2015, when 527 Coralines were born — ranking #579 that year. About 58% of every Coraline on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Coraline ranks #745 for baby girls with 379 births, falling sharply (-16%). All told, over 7K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Coraline
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Coraline. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Coraline
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Coraline Ada Ehmke , American software developer and open source advocate
- Coraline Hugue (born 1984), French cross country skier who competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics
- Coraline Vitalis (born 1995), French fencer who competed in the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Coraline
Phonetically similar names — useful when Coraline is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Coraline
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About the name Coraline
Coraline is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1970 and has accumulated 7K births in the dataset. Coraline's peak popularity came in 2015 when it ranked #579. Use the chart and map above to compare Coraline's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2015 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.