Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1990

Cortez

Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #1,655 Trend ↓ Falling 35%
Rank 2025
#1,655
among boys · ↑343 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
101
named Cortez · +31% vs 2024
How common
1 in 16,912
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1990
351 babies
All-time total
10,988
#1,148 all-time among boys
First recorded
1882
in Social Security records

Cortez popularity over time

10,988 babies have been named Cortez since 1882, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 5 5 1 – #967
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – 5 5 1 – #1,500
1910s 27 100 127 13 +2440% #1,209
1920s 29 118 147 15 +16% #1,949
1930s – 129 129 13 -12% #1,597
1940s – 117 117 12 -9% #1,626
1950s – 228 228 23 +95% #1,339
1960s – 378 378 38 +66% #1,130
1970s 5 814 819 82 +117% #837
1980s 23 1,814 1,837 184 +124% #542
1990s 5 2,669 2,674 267 +46% #532
2000s – 2,033 2,033 203 -24% #741
2010s – 1,854 1,854 185 -9% #908
2020s (to 2025) – 635 635 106 -43% #1,301

Where Cortez is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 94 0.06 outside top 500
2027 89 0.05 outside top 500
2028 85 0.05 outside top 500
2029 81 0.05 outside top 500
2030 78 0.05 outside top 500

Where Cortez is most popular

Boys named Cortez per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.059 per 1,000. Strongest in Alabama, Louisiana, and Michigan.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Cortez born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alabama 20 0.183 +209%
Louisiana 13 0.127 +115%
Michigan 24 0.117 +98%
Tennessee 18 0.100 +69%
Ohio 26 0.098 +66%
Georgia 23 0.091 +53%
Mississippi 5 0.088 +49%
Missouri 11 0.079 +34%
Wisconsin 8 0.068 +14%
Texas 51 0.058 ≈ national
Washington 7 0.043 -28%
Indiana 6 0.037 -37%
Florida 16 0.034 -43%
California 29 0.032 -46%
Illinois 6 0.023 -60%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -67%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Cortez

Cortez is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,655 in 2025 with 101 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1882, 10,988 American babies have been named Cortez. Its peak came in 1990, when 351 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Cortez stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Cortez?

The median living Cortez is about 28 years old; half are between 16 and 38. An estimated 10 thousand people named Cortez are alive in the United States today.

median 28 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Cortez year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 101 #1,655
2024 – – 77 #1,998
2023 – – 84 #1,881
2022 – – 104 #1,655
2021 – – 145 #1,301
2020 – – 124 #1,400
2019 – – 147 #1,272
2018 – – 149 #1,239
2017 – – 176 #1,104
2016 – – 162 #1,177
2015 – – 192 #1,042
2014 – – 195 #1,036
2013 – – 229 #908
2012 – – 195 #1,012
2011 – – 195 #996
2010 – – 214 #941
2009 – – 227 #909
2008 – – 200 #985
2007 – – 205 #960
2006 – – 200 #937
2005 – – 223 #833
2004 – – 185 #919
2003 – – 195 #877
2002 – – 163 #971
2001 – – 205 #813
2000 – – 230 #741
1995 – – 235 #695
1990 5 #13,426 346 #532
1985 – – 191 #637
1980 5 #10,714 108 #852
1975 – – 86 #891
1970 – – 54 #1,118
1965 – – 44 #1,130
1960 – – 43 #1,195
1955 – – 32 #1,345
1950 – – 15 #1,957
1945 – – 14 #1,869
1940 – – – –
1935 – – 12 #2,150
1930 – – 17 #1,834
1925 – – 17 #1,949
1920 6 #4,504 9 #3,010
1915 5 #4,426 13 #2,092
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Cortez, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Cortez?

The median living Cortez is about 28 years old. Half of all living Cortezs are between 16 and 38 years old.

How many people named Cortez are alive today?

An estimated 10 thousand people named Cortez are alive in the United States, based on 10,988 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Cortez in 2025?

Cortez ranked #1,655 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 101 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Cortez?

10,988 babies have been named Cortez in the United States since 1882, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Cortez most popular?

Cortez peaked in 1990, when 351 newborns received the name.

Is Cortez a boy or girl name?

Cortez is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Cortez rising or falling?

Cortez is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Cortez become more popular?

Cortez is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 78 boys named Cortez in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Cortez

Names that sound and feel close to Cortez: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Cortez with similar names → More names starting with C →