From Scottish Gaelic mythology, a goddess of prophecy; also means spear or arrow.
Corra sits at a crossroads of Celtic mythology and classical antiquity. In Irish and Scottish Gaelic tradition, Corra (sometimes spelled Corra or Cora) was a supernatural being — a heron-like prophetic figure associated with transformation and otherworldly wisdom. The name appears in medieval Irish texts describing a creature that could traverse the boundaries between the mortal world and the unseen realm, giving it a mystical, liminal quality that has quietly enchanted Celtic Revival admirers for generations.
The name also overlaps with the Greek Kore ("maiden"), the name by which Persephone was known before her descent into the underworld — the innocent girl who became queen of the dead. This classical resonance was revived in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as Cora, and variants like Corra appeared in Scottish and Irish literary circles, most notably in early American fiction. James Fenimore Cooper used Cora as the name of a brave, dark-haired heroine in "The Last of the Mohicans" (1826), cementing the name's association with strength, unconventional beauty, and moral courage.
Corra, with its doubled final vowel, feels slightly wilder and more Celtic than the streamlined Cora — less parlor, more hillside. It enjoyed modest use in Scotland and Ireland through the late Victorian era and has resurfaced in recent years among parents drawn to Gaelic heritage names. It strikes a delicate balance: ancient and rooted, yet genuinely uncommon, with a sound that is soft and musical without being precious.