Coraline is a feminine given name, usually considered a French

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

of the name

Coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

, which is derived from the name for the

precious coral Precious coral, or red coral, is the common name given to a genus of marine corals, ''Corallium''. The distinguishing characteristic of precious corals is their durable and intensely colored red or pink-orange skeleton, which is used for maki ...

used to make jewelry. It was first used by French composer

Adolphe Adam Adolphe Charles Adam (; 24 July 1803 – 3 May 1856) was a French composer, teacher and music critic. A prolific composer for the theatre, he is best known today for his ballets ''Giselle'' (1841) and ''Le corsaire'' (1856), his operas ''Le post ...

for a character in his 1849

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

'' Le toréador''. As a diminutive of Coral, the name is traditionally pronounced with an ''een'' ending.Campbell, Mike, "The Name Coraline", ''Behind the Name'', October 19, 201

/ref> It might also be a diminutive of the name Cora (name), Cora. Coraline is also a name for a red, pink, or orange shade of the color

coral Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...

. Author

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

believed that he had invented the name as a rhyming variant of the name Caroline for the

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...

in his dark fantasy horror children's novella ''Coraline''. Gaiman pronounced the name of the character with a long ''i'' to rhyme with the word ''wine''. Gaiman also liked the name's resemblance to the word ''coral'', which he explained is "both beautiful and hard and hidden." He also later found the name had been used for a tragic heroine in a Victorian-era song as well as for a type of material used to make

corsets A corset /ˈkɔːrsɪt/ is a support garment worn to constrict the torso into the desired shape and posture. They are traditionally constructed out of fabric with boning made of whalebone or steel, a stiff panel in the front called a busk which ...

Usage

The name was among the top 500 names in use for newborn girls in France between 1976 and 2007. It has been among the top 1,000 names for newborn girls in the United States since 2012. Usage of the name for American newborn girls has increased in recent years. The name has not been among the top 1,000 names for girls in Canada. In 2021, it was used for 15 newborn girls in that country.

People

* Coraline Ada Ehmke, American software developer and open source advocate * Coraline Hugue (born 1984), French cross country skier who competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics * Coraline Vitalis (born 1995), French fencer who competed in the

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

Notes

{{Given name English feminine given names French feminine given names Feminine given names Given names derived from gemstones English-language feminine given names