Likely related to Corey/Kory, a name with roots linked to a hollow or a maiden from Greek Kore.
Khori is a name that appears across several distinct cultural traditions, giving it a pleasingly multicultural ambiguity. In Mongolian, "Khori" (or Khori-Tumed) is associated with the Khori Buryat people, one of the major Buryat tribal groups of Siberia and Mongolia, carrying associations with the steppe, shamanic tradition, and the long oral histories of Central Asian nomadic culture. In some Slavic and Eastern European contexts, related forms appear as regional given names or place designations.
The name also has phonetic relatives in various African languages where "Kori" or "Khori" carry meanings ranging from "farmer" to names of birds. In contemporary American usage, Khori functions most often as a variant of Kori or Cory — names with Greek roots (from Kore, meaning "maiden," associated with Persephone) or Irish origins (from Corra, related to the word for cauldron or hollow). The "Kh-" spelling lends the name an exotic, slightly mysterious quality that distinguishes it visually while preserving the familiar phonetics of an established name family.
The name has found traction particularly among parents who want something that sounds grounded and simple when spoken aloud but reads as visually distinctive on the page — a combination increasingly valued in an era when names serve both as spoken identity and written personal brand. Khori is short, strong, and carries the quiet confidence of a name that doesn't need explanation to sound right.