Cody is a name of Native American origin, specifically from the Crow tribe. The name Cody is derived from the Crow word "Kodzi," which means "cloud." It was popularized by two notable figures: William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody and his cousin, Nathan Franklin Cody.
William F. Cody, born in 1846, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He earned the nickname "Buffalo Bill" for his hunting skills and later went on to create the famous Wild West show called "Buffalo Bill's Wild West." His cousin Nathan Franklin Cody, born around 1850, was also a scout and served as a guide for the U.S. Army.
The name Cody gained popularity in the United States during the late 19th century due to these two men's fame. It was further popularized by William F. Cody when he named his daughter Irma Ermine Geraldine Cody after his mother, Geri (short for Jerusha), and later added "Ermine" and "Geraldine" to the mix. This created some confusion about whether the name Cody is male or female.
Today, Cody is a unisex name, with its popularity varying by country and time period. It is more commonly used as a boy's name in the United States, where it has consistently ranked among the top 1000 names since the mid-20th century. However, it also appears in the Social Security Administration's list of popular girl's names.
In conclusion, Cody is a name with Native American roots that gained popularity through notable figures like Buffalo Bill Cody and his cousin Nathan Franklin Cody. While historically it has been more commonly used for boys, today it is considered a unisex name.
The name Cody has seen significant fluctuations over the years with birth numbers ranging from a low of 5 in several years up to a peak of 253 in 1988. The popularity of the name began to rise significantly around the late 70s and peaked between the mid-80s to early 90s, after which it has steadily declined, reaching an average of approximately 24 births per year since 2016. Overall, there have been a total of 5118 births with the name Cody since 1926.