Fun Facts About the Name Cormac
- More than 3 thousand babies named Cormac: U.S. records list 3,699 babies given the name Cormac from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Cormac Mean?
Cormac is an Irish masculine name from Old Irish Cormac, generally explained as "son of the charioteer." It is usually analyzed as a compound of Old Irish corb, "chariot," and mac, "son." Taken literally, that gives "son of the chariot" or "chariot son," but the customary English rendering treats the first element as a reference to a charioteer. The derivation is not fully certain; the chariot-and-son explanation is the most common, but the name's exact original sense remains debated. It belongs to the Goidelic branch of Celtic and is not a Latin or English formation.
Cormac Name History & Origins
The name Cormac is recorded in Old Irish sources. In Old Irish it is written Cormac, with the genitive Cormaic. The best-known legendary bearer is Cormac mac Airt, a high king of Ireland in medieval Irish literature; his traditional reign is placed in the third century, but the tales about him are literary compositions, not contemporary documents. Historical figures include Cormac mac Cuilennáin (died 908), king-bishop of Cashel and a scholar traditionally associated with the Saltair Chaisil ("Psalter of Cashel"). The name was common among Irish kings and churchmen and was carried into Scottish Gaelic use. The surnames Cormack and Cormick derive from it. It has remained in use as a given name in Ireland and in the English-speaking world, and the American novelist Cormac McCarthy is a modern bearer.
How Popular is the Name Cormac?
Cormac has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2014. Its best rank was #1,033 in 2014.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,298 | 150 | 0.0088% |
| 2024 | #1,254 | 157 | 0.0092% |
| 2023 | #1,238 | 158 | 0.0092% |
| 2022 | #1,270 | 152 | 0.0087% |
| 2021 | #1,218 | 158 | 0.0090% |
| 2020 | #1,225 | 153 | 0.0089% |
| 2019 | #1,304 | 141 | 0.0079% |
| 2018 | #1,300 | 140 | 0.0077% |
| 2017 | #1,099 | 177 | 0.0096% |
| 2016 | #1,137 | 170 | 0.0090% |
| 2015 | #1,103 | 175 | 0.0091% |
| 2014 | #1,033 | 196 | 0.0102% |
| 2013 | #1,098 | 169 | 0.0089% |
| 2012 | #1,125 | 163 | 0.0086% |
| 2011 | #1,180 | 150 | 0.0079% |
| 2010 | #1,348 | 126 | 0.0066% |
| 2009 | #1,574 | 103 | 0.0052% |
| 2008 | #1,453 | 113 | 0.0055% |
| 2007 | #1,540 | 102 | 0.0049% |
| 2006 | #1,844 | 74 | 0.0036% |
| 2005 | #1,808 | 72 | 0.0036% |
| 2004 | #2,056 | 58 | 0.0029% |
| 2003 | #2,033 | 56 | 0.0028% |
| 2002 | #1,726 | 67 | 0.0035% |
| 2001 | #1,602 | 74 | 0.0038% |
| 2000 | #1,970 | 52 | 0.0026% |
| 1999 | #2,409 | 37 | 0.0019% |
| 1998 | #1,934 | 50 | 0.0026% |
| 1997 | #2,137 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 1996 | #1,876 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 1995 | #2,305 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1994 | #3,490 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1993 | #3,685 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1992 | #5,732 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #6,053 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #7,345 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #8,111 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1988 | #4,223 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #6,253 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #5,441 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #5,256 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #6,419 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #5,119 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #3,608 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1978 | #3,914 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #3,904 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #4,262 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #3,050 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1972 | #5,119 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #3,412 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #4,159 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1961 | #4,183 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1956 | #4,048 | 5 | 0.0002% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Cormac
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with C
How the Name Cormac Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are cheerful and friendly, but are apt to have an emotional life. You like to have several lines of effort going at once. You are a good talker and promoter and seldom worry over anything. At times, you can be impatient, and impulsive. You have the ability to bring an idea to completion. You can express yourself joyously and constructively. You might be psychic, but not know it. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Cormac's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Cormac's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.