A variant of Corey or Cory, from an Irish surname often linked to a hollow or ravine.
Kory is a variant spelling of Corey or Cory, a name with intriguingly contested origins. The most frequently cited etymologies point either to the Old Irish *coire*, meaning "cauldron" or "hollow" (suggesting someone from a hollow or glen), or to the Old Norse *Kori*, a personal name of uncertain meaning that was carried to the British Isles via Viking settlement. Some scholars also propose a Greek connection to *kore*, meaning "maiden" — the title of Persephone in her role as the young goddess of spring — though this derivation is less commonly accepted for the anglophone form.
Corey/Cory surged in American naming culture during the 1970s and 1980s, partly propelled by its fresh, outdoorsy sound and partly by cultural touchstones including the character Cory Matthews in the long-running television series *Boy Meets World*, which kept the name in the public ear through the 1990s into the 2000s. The actor Corey Feldman and the late Corey Haim, the iconic teen stars of 1980s cinema, also embedded the name in a particular moment of popular culture nostalgia. The K-spelling variant Kory distinguishes itself with a slightly sharper, more contemporary energy.
Kory today occupies an interesting naming space — recognizable and easy to wear, slightly unexpected in its K spelling, and possessed of that particular quality shared by short two-syllable names: they age gracefully. From childhood through adulthood, Kory requires no abbreviation and accumulates no awkward associations, a practical virtue that parents have always quietly prized.