Cori is a short form of names such as Corinna and Cora, which go back to the Greek kore and mean "maiden", and at the same time a feminine spelling of Corey, an Irish surname of uncertain meaning. The i ending gives it a light, friendly look that fits the 1980s and 1990s fashion for Tori and Lori. In the United States Cori stood at number 1204 in 2000, its best year, and ranks number 1932 in 2025.