Coraline

At a Glance

Meaning

Little coral / an elaboration of Coral

Origin

French (elaboration of Coralie/Coral, literary coinage)

Gender

Primarily used for girls

Pronunciation

KOR-uh-lyneListen

Coraline comes from French, an elaboration of Coralie and Coral, and simply means little coral. You might spot other meanings attached to it elsewhere, like 'free man,' 'heart,' 'maiden,' or 'rose garden,' but those belong to completely different names — Coraline's roots stay close to the word coral itself.

Meaning & Origin of Coraline

Meaning: Little coral / an elaboration of Coral.

Origin: French (elaboration of Coralie/Coral, literary coinage).

A common claim: Some baby-name sites list unrelated meanings like 'free man,' 'heart,' 'maiden,' or 'rose garden' Actually: None of those are correct — those meanings belong to entirely different names (e.g., Karl, Cora, Rosalind); Coraline is an elaboration of Coral/Coralie referring to coral.

Source: Wiktionary, Wikipedia.

How to Pronounce Coraline

Popularity of Coraline

Coraline had its strongest year in 2015, when 527 girls were given the name and it ranked #579 nationally. By 2024 it had cooled to #720, with 390 babies named Coraline that year.

Names Like Coraline

These names have followed a similar path to Coraline in U.S. popularity over the years.

• Case
• Raylan
• Kenna
• Royalty
• Amelie
• Ryland

FAQ

What does the name Coraline mean?

Little coral / an elaboration of Coral. (Source: Wiktionary)

How do you pronounce Coraline?

Coraline is pronounced KOR-uh-lyne (IPA: /ˈkɔːrəlaɪn/).

Is Coraline a popular name right now?

Coraline peaked at #579 in 2015 and is ranked #720 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1970–2024.)

Make Coraline Name Art

Free printable nursery art for Coraline, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.