Cordes
A surname with more than one possible root, often linked either to a place-name or to words for cords/ropes.
The #5,742 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 51,159 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is probably a mix of regional surname forms rather than one single origin. In Dutch and Low German contexts, Cordes can be a surname built from a place-name or from a shortened personal name such as Kord/Cord, while some scholars also compare it with French forms like Cordeau. Because the historical references are brief and partly incidental, the exact derivation is not secure.
History
The surname is documented in northern European naming traditions, especially in Dutch and German-speaking areas. It later appears in English-language surname collections as a foreign or continental form, which suggests movement through migration and spelling adaptation. In modern use it is not especially common, but it remains established in several countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old surname dictionaries sometimes grouped Cordes with names connected to rope- or cord-making, but they did not agree on a single explanation.
From the historical record
“Cordrey. See Cowderoy Cordy. Fr. Cordeau ; Dch. Cordes, [( Cordia ; G. Korte ; p.n. Core. See Cory Corfield. A loc. n., Salop See”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)