Cormoran: Baby Name of the Day

The baby name Cormoran combines Cornish myth with a current sound.

Thanks to Jenna for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

LEGENDARY NAME

The baby name Cormoran comes straight from Cornwall.

The name belonged to a giant. He wasn’t all bad – in fact, he’s given credit for creating the island of St. Michael’s Mount.

But we know this giant as a villain. Jack, the boy who climbed the beanstalk, started out in Cornish folklore. The giant that he slayed, the one known for chanting “Fee Fi Fo Fum” and menacing the adventurous Jack? That was none other than Cormoran.

There’s debate about whether the giant’s name is Cornish. It might be based on Corineus, the legendary warrior founder of Cornwall.

The meaning is also given as “The Giant of the Sea.”

In some Arthurian tales, King Arthur and his knights slay the Giant of St. Michael’s Mount. While he’s not called Cormoran in those accounts, it seems like the same figure.

CORMORAN(T)

Cormorants – with a t – are coastal birds, built to dive for fish, and they’re found nearly everywhere in the world with an appropriate habitat.

Their name likely comes from the Latin phrase corvus marinus – sea raven. Most assumed that they were cousins to corvids – ravens – thanks to their size and coloring.

While the name of the bird and the giant share sounds, it’s probably a coincidence.

In Spanish and French, the bird is called the cormoran, no final T.

During the 1990s, Cormoran was the name of a French language drama produced in Quebec, set during World War II. It’s the last name of the family at the heart of the story.

CORMORAN STRIKE

Today the name applies to one fictional figure: detective Cormoran Strike.

While the books are attributed to Robert Galbraith, that’s a pen name for Harry Potter author JK Rowling. Unpacking Rowling’s runaway success and more recent notoriety proves challenging, but this series has succeeded – in book sales and as a television adaptation – nonetheless.

The world met struggling private investigator Cormoran Blue Strike in 2010. He’s the son of a rock star dad and groupie mom. In the first book, he’s hired to investigate a supermodel’s so-called suicide. During the course of the investigation, Strike ends up with a temporary secretary, Robin Ellacott. She eventually becomes his right-hand man.

It’s a fitting name for the character, who is described as physically imposing, tall and strong, a former British military police officer until injury cut short his career.

There are seven books in the series so far, as well as a BBC adaptation starring Tom Burke in the title role, with Holliday Grainger as Robin. C.B. Strike continues to adapt each book as it is released.

An eighth novel is expected soon. As long as Strike continues righting wrongs, the baby name Cormoran could catch on.

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME CORMORAN?

The baby name Cormoran could catch on. But it hasn’t yet.

In the US, it’s so rare as to be non-existent. It’s never been given to even five boys in a single year of birth.

As it happens, the baby name Cormoran isn’t used in Cornwall, either.

The Cornish language revival has led to plenty of fresh name possibilities, like Elowen and Elestren. So perhaps Cormoran’s time is yet to come.

CAMERON PLUS STRIKE

Thanks to the fictional detective, plenty of future parents are aware of the baby name Cormoran.

Depending on your perspective, it’s a bold alternative to Cameron, with ties to folklore and the natural world. Or it’s permanently tied to the character in a way that makes it hard to wear.

If you’re after a daring rarity, Cormoran might be one to consider.

What do you think of the baby name Cormoran?

First published on February 2, 2016, this post was revised on August 14, 2024.