Corine

About Corine

Corine is a Dutch form and French variant of Corinne, part of a name family usually traced to the Greek word for “maiden.” Its compact spelling connects it with longer forms such as Corinna. A notable modern bearer is Corine Mauch, the first woman to serve as mayor of Zurich.

Origin and related names

Corine reaches back through Corinne to the Greek name Corinna. The deeper derivation is usually connected with korē, meaning “girl,” “maiden,” or “daughter,” although that ancient connection is best treated as probable. Corinna was also the name of a Greek poet from Tanagra, giving the family a literary history extending far beyond modern European usage.

Corinne is the French form familiar in English, while Corina and Corinna preserve an ending in a. Cora belongs to the same broader group. Corine keeps a single n before its final e, making it visibly distinct from Corinne without adding another syllable in French.

In French, Corine is approximately ko-REEN, with stress falling lightly at the end. Dutch commonly gives it three syllables, koh-REE-nuh. The spelling therefore has two established rhythms, depending on the language in which it is spoken. Cori could be used as an informal shortening.

A literary family

The related spelling Corinne appears in Germaine de Staël’s Corinne ou l’Italie, published in 1807. Staël’s journey through Italy in 1805 helped furnish the setting for the novel, which became a major success.

The title is a useful part of Corine’s wider literary background: it belongs to the related French form Corinne. Together with ancient Corinna, it places this small group of names in both classical poetry and nineteenth-century European literature.

Corine Mauch and Zurich

Corine Mauch studied agricultural economics at ETH Zurich from 1980 to 1986 and then Chinese studies at the University of Zurich. She served in the city parliament from 1999 to 2009, including a period leading its Social Democratic parliamentary group.

In 2009, she became Zurich’s first woman mayor. Her tenure lasted 17 years, ending in May 2026. As the city grew, affordable housing and the preservation of social diversity were central concerns. The city adopted its first housing policy strategy in 2012 under her leadership.

Culture was another prominent part of her work. The renovation of the Kongresshaus and Tonhalle, the expansion of the Kunsthaus, and the new Tanzhaus all fell within her time in office. Her career gives the exact spelling Corine a public connection with urban government, housing, and the arts.

American usage

Corine had its largest annual American total in the local SSA series in 1920, with 376 girls and a rank of #336. Its recent use is much smaller: six girls were recorded in 2024, and the spelling has no published female total for 2025. The American pattern gives it a particularly strong early twentieth-century association.

How popular is Corine?

In 2025, Corine was not listed in the latest American name records. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1880; its largest annual count was 376 in 1920. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.