Cortez
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- kor-TEZ
- Origin
- Spanish
- US rank, 2025
- #1,654 for boys
Cortez is a boys' name of Spanish origin, meaning “courteous”. In 2025 it ranked 1,654th for boys in the US (101 babies).
What does Cortez mean?
Spanish: from the Spanish surname Cortés
“courteous”
From the Spanish surname Cortés, borne by Hernán Cortés, whose expedition overthrew the Aztec Empire in 1521.
Is Cortez a girl's or a boy's name?
Cortez is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 101 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Cortez in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2010, with 5 boys.
Cortez in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 | #4,335 |
| 2022 | 3 | #5,017 |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 1 | #6,143 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 3 | #4,959 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 5 | #3,527 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 3 | #4,999 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 5 | #3,478 |
| 2009 | 4 | #3,909 |
| 2008 | 3 | #4,615 |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 4 | #3,522 |
| 2005 | 3 | #3,992 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 1 | #4,138 |
How popular is Cortez in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 1,654th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 101 about 1 in 17,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 38% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 101 boys in the US were named Cortez, making it the 1,654th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,398th. Its busiest year was 1990, with 346 boys. It first appears in the records in 1882.
Half of all the boys named Cortez in the US since 1880 were born between 1985 and 2008, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 115 boys in the US were given Cortez or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,366, up from #1,654 for this spelling alone.
- Cortez 101
- Kortez 14
Cortez in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 101 | #1,654 |
| 2024 | 77 | #1,997 |
| 2023 | 84 | #1,875 |
| 2022 | 104 | #1,652 |
| 2021 | 145 | #1,300 |
| 2020 | 124 | #1,398 |
| 2019 | 147 | #1,271 |
| 2018 | 149 | #1,238 |
| 2017 | 176 | #1,104 |
| 2016 | 162 | #1,175 |
| 2015 | 192 | #1,042 |
| 2014 | 195 | #1,035 |
| 2013 | 229 | #907 |
| 2012 | 195 | #1,011 |
| 2011 | 195 | #995 |
| 2010 | 214 | #940 |
| 2009 | 227 | #909 |
| 2008 | 200 | #985 |
| 2007 | 205 | #959 |
| 2006 | 200 | #937 |
| 2005 | 223 | #832 |
| 2004 | 185 | #916 |
| 2003 | 195 | #876 |
| 2002 | 163 | #969 |
| 2001 | 205 | #812 |
| 2000 | 230 | #740 |
| 1999 | 240 | #696 |
| 1998 | 209 | #763 |
| 1997 | 213 | #728 |
| 1996 | 209 | #731 |
| 1995 | 235 | #691 |
| 1994 | 280 | #621 |
| 1993 | 313 | #580 |
| 1992 | 301 | #591 |
| 1991 | 323 | #563 |
| 1990 | 346 | #531 |
| 1989 | 320 | #541 |
| 1988 | 234 | #618 |
| 1987 | 218 | #614 |
| 1986 | 210 | #615 |
| 1985 | 191 | #637 |
| 1984 | 157 | #696 |
| 1983 | 145 | #714 |
| 1982 | 118 | #813 |
| 1981 | 113 | #826 |
| 1980 | 108 | #850 |
| 1979 | 96 | #890 |
| 1978 | 105 | #836 |
| 1977 | 95 | #869 |
| 1976 | 97 | #845 |
| 1975 | 86 | #891 |
| 1974 | 66 | #1,007 |
| 1973 | 88 | #843 |
| 1972 | 67 | #988 |
| 1971 | 60 | #1,047 |
| 1970 | 54 | #1,117 |
| 1969 | 45 | #1,168 |
| 1968 | 35 | #1,282 |
| 1967 | 37 | #1,230 |
| 1966 | 30 | #1,400 |
| 1965 | 44 | #1,129 |
| 1964 | 37 | #1,287 |
| 1963 | 34 | #1,337 |
| 1962 | 45 | #1,146 |
| 1961 | 28 | #1,520 |
| 1960 | 43 | #1,192 |
| 1959 | 34 | #1,336 |
| 1958 | 17 | #1,952 |
| 1957 | 22 | #1,714 |
| 1956 | 31 | #1,384 |
| 1955 | 32 | #1,338 |
| 1954 | 28 | #1,434 |
| 1953 | 14 | #2,098 |
| 1952 | 22 | #1,614 |
| 1951 | 13 | #2,134 |
| 1950 | 15 | #1,940 |
| 1949 | 21 | #1,615 |
| 1948 | 15 | #1,942 |
| 1947 | 17 | #1,849 |
| 1946 | 11 | #2,270 |
| 1945 | 14 | #1,851 |
| 1944 | 15 | #1,809 |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 14 | #1,946 |
| 1941 | 10 | #2,333 |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 9 | #2,449 |
| 1938 | 11 | #2,185 |
| 1937 | 13 | #1,992 |
| 1936 | 14 | #1,872 |
| 1935 | 12 | #2,127 |
| 1934 | 10 | #2,393 |
| 1933 | 15 | #1,829 |
| 1932 | 8 | #2,849 |
| 1931 | 20 | #1,589 |
| 1930 | 17 | #1,821 |
| 1929 | 11 | #2,451 |
| 1928 | 8 | #3,074 |
| 1927 | 6 | #3,778 |
| 1926 | 12 | #2,435 |
| 1925 | 17 | #1,934 |
| 1924 | 8 | #3,259 |
| 1923 | 16 | #2,019 |
| 1922 | 16 | #2,039 |
| 1921 | 15 | #2,151 |
| 1920 | 9 | #2,966 |
| 1919 | 13 | #2,264 |
| 1918 | 17 | #1,904 |
| 1917 | 17 | #1,814 |
| 1916 | 14 | #2,042 |
| 1915 | 13 | #2,069 |
| 1914 | 9 | #2,270 |
| 1913 | 0 | – |
| 1912 | 8 | #1,884 |
| 1911 | 9 | #1,189 |
| 1910 | 0 | – |
| 1909 | 5 | #1,439 |
| 1908 | 0 | – |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 0 | – |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 0 | – |
| 1903 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 0 | – |
| 1900 | 0 | – |
| 1899 | 0 | – |
| 1898 | 0 | – |
| 1897 | 0 | – |
| 1896 | 0 | – |
| 1895 | 0 | – |
| 1894 | 0 | – |
| 1893 | 0 | – |
| 1892 | 0 | – |
| 1891 | 0 | – |
| 1890 | 0 | – |
| 1889 | 0 | – |
| 1888 | 0 | – |
| 1887 | 0 | – |
| 1886 | 0 | – |
| 1885 | 0 | – |
| 1884 | 0 | – |
| 1883 | 0 | – |
| 1882 | 5 | #942 |
Names like Cortez
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Cruz, Luca, Perez, Cooper, Lucas, Rio, Xavier, Santiago, Marco, Spencer, Carter, Hector
Other spellings of Cortez
Names related to Cortez
More Spanish names
Lola, Amaya, Alaia, Diego, Elian, Jesus, Ximena, Javier, Esmeralda, Amayah, Reina, Cesar, Sierra, Paloma, Amaia, Solana
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Cortez: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/cortez, updated 20 October 2026.