About Kori
Kori is an English form of Corey, usually pronounced KOR-ee. Its surname background leads to an Old Norse personal name whose meaning is unknown. American artist Kori Newkirk provides a distinctive cultural connection, while birth records show the spelling in use for both girls and boys.
Meaning and related forms
Kori developed as a spelling variant of Corey. The English surname behind Corey is traced to the Old Norse name Kóri, but that older name does not have a securely established meaning.
The relationship with Corey is clearer than the deeper etymology. Cori, Corie, and Corrie belong to the same modern group of forms. Kori replaces the initial c with k and uses a single final i.
Although Kori is commonly listed as a feminine form, its actual American use includes boys. Newkirk is a notable male bearer of this exact spelling, alongside the larger female presence in American birth records.
Kori Newkirk and contemporary art
Kori Newkirk was born in the Bronx and raised in Cortland, New York. He earned a bachelor of fine arts degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1993 and a master of fine arts at the University of California, Irvine, in 1997.
His work crosses several media, including photography, neon, and beaded curtains that depict landscapes. Everyday materials become part of artworks concerned with identity, beauty, and the places people inhabit.
The Studio Museum in Harlem presented Kori Newkirk: 1997–2007, a survey bringing together different strands of his practice. The exhibition showed how apparently different objects and images could speak to one another within the same body of work.
Black Dandelion
For a Newfields commission in Indianapolis, Newkirk explored the city and its surroundings before developing Black Dandelion. The familiar plant offered a connection between carefully maintained gardens, parking lots, lawns, and overlooked pieces of ground.
The work uses matte black surfaces and a glowing element to create contrasts between light and shadow. The choice of an ordinary dandelion encourages attention to something that can be treated as either a flower or a weed.
This is a specific artistic association for Kori: a name attached to an artist who transforms common materials and familiar urban sights into larger questions about visibility and place.
Pronunciation and American use
Kori is pronounced KOR-ee, with two syllables and stress at the beginning. Its final i has the long ee sound. Corey has the same usual English pronunciation, despite the different ending.
Kori’s largest annual American total for girls was 475 in 2016, when it ranked #631. In 2025, it was given to 260 girls and 27 boys. The female total ranked #978, showing that the spelling remains in active use while its smaller masculine tradition continues.
Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution
Existing Wiktionary material is attributed under CC BY-SA 4.0 where applicable. American popularity figures use the local Social Security Administration series for this exact spelling; name-sex-year counts below five are omitted.
- Wiktionary: Kori (English)
- SSA national name data
- Wikidata: Kori Carter
- Wikidata: Kori Rae
- Studio Museum: Kori Newkirk survey
- Newfields: Black Dandelion
- Candlewood Arts Festival: Kori Newkirk
Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
How popular is Kori?
In 2025, Kori ranked #978 among girls in the United States, with 260 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1953; its largest annual count was 475 in 2016. 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.