Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Cody

Cody is the transferred use of an Irish surname which originated as the Gaelic “Ó Cuidighthigh” from a nickname meaning ‘a helpful person’. It is also thought to come from Mac Óda (‘son of Otto’) from a Germanic word meaning ‘prosperity’. Out of all the English-speaking countries, Cody is a Top 100 male name in only New Zealand, Australia and Scotland.

All About the Baby Name – Cody

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME CODY

The Number 2 personality in numerology is all about cooperation and balance. It's the number of diplomats and mediators. They are not leaders, but strive rather for harmony in partnerships. These are the peacemakers. Equality and fairness are important in their dealings, and they are willing to share power and responsibility to achieve a harmonious outcome. This personality is calm and patient, waiting for things to evolve instead of pushing aggressively for an outcome. They are good-natured and easy-going, and care deeply on an emotional and spiritual plane. Twos appreciate beauty and nature and are intent on making the world a better place.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME CODY

The name Cody appears on the U.S. popularity charts sporadically in the late 1800s, obviously influenced by the Wild West showman Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917). However, as we entered the 20th century, the name Cody falls completely off the naming charts. It finally reappears in 1951 and climbs the charts at a slow and steady pace for the next 30 years. In 1982, Cody achieves a position on the Top 100 list of most favored boys’ names. By the early 1990s, Cody is at the height of its usage and a Top 25 favorite. Since 1994 Cody has gone backwards on the charts and fell off the Top 100 list in 2006 for the first time in 25 years. The name had a good ride in the 80s and 90s but appears to be going out of style today. Not surprisingly, the name persists in popularity in the states of Wyoming and Alaska (not to mention Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Delaware). Cody is both cute and manly at the same time. It shares a place on the list of Wild West boy names (like Wyatt and Carson) which gives the name a sense of innocuous mischievousness disguised in a cowboy hat.

Quick Facts

ON CODY

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

214

PRONUNCIATION:

KO-dee

SIMPLE MEANING:

Helpful person, or prosperity

Characteristics

OF CODY

Cooperative

Considerate

Compassionate

Nurturing

Sensitive

Patient

Loving

Kind

Gracious

Balanced

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Cody

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME CODY

Cody is the alter-ego for the real life friend of Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady (although in the classic On the Road, he is called Dean Moriarty). He is featured in several of Kerouac’s novels, including Visions of Cody. He is larger than life, a free-spirited, restless original who demands the complete attention of all around him, and earns every moment of it. He is spiritual, he is sexy, he is wild, he is poetic. Faults he has aplenty, but he is never boring, never commonplace, and always at the center of the universe of his own making.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME CODY

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Cody


Popular Songs

ON CODY

Cody
a song by Bowling For Soup

Cody's Song
a song by Kenny Loggins

Famous People

NAMED CODY

Cody Chesnutt (musician)
Cody Hay (figure skater)
Cody Linley (actor)
Cody Ransom (baseball player)
Cody Rhodes (wrestler)
Cody Ross (baseball player)
Cody Willard (journalist)
Cody Chesnutt (musician)
Cody Hay (figure skater)
Cody Linley (actor)
Cody Ransom (baseball player)
Cody Rhodes (wrestler)
Cody Ross (baseball player)
Cody Willard (journalist)
Cody Chesnutt (musician)
Cody Hay (figure skater)
Cody Linley (actor)
Cody Ransom (baseball player)
Cody Rhodes (wrestler)
Cody Ross (baseball player)
Cody Willard (journalist)

Children of Famous People

NAMED CODY

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Cody

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME CODY

Buffalo Bill Cody was born in Iowa in 1846 (the same year Iowa gained Statehood into the Union) but moved to Kansas as a young boy (his Canadian-born parents were vehemently against slavery). Before the age of 25 it seems Cody had already ridden the Pony Express, fought in the Civil War, scouted Indians on behalf of the U.S. Army, and worked as a bison-killer, a fur-trapper and a stagecoach driver. In fact, Bill Cody responded to a Pony Express advertisement at the age of 14; the ad called for "skinny, expert riders willing to risk death daily." That must tell you something right there. Obviously from this vantage point, Cody would have seen a lot of the Old Rugged West. A man with a colorful personality and a penchant for storytelling, Buffalo Bill Cody brought the Wild West Show to eager audiences across the eastern United States and Europe. The rogue cowboy themes of his show delighted audiences everywhere for four decades; Wild Bill Hickok, sharpshooter Annie Oakley and Indian Chief Sitting Bull performed for him. Buffalo Bill Cody was a real legend – his character, love of excitement, infectious personality and pioneering spirit has come to represent everything that is the Old West. He lives on in our imagination…

Buffalo Bill Cody was arguably the most popular and colorful American of his times. He was born in the Iowa Territory to parents who were outspoken abolitionists, which often led to the family being ostracized by others. It does not appear to have had any ill effects on young William, who seems to have taken life into an enormous embrace. At various times, he was a soldier, an Army scout, a fighter in the Civil War, a rider for the Pony Express, a buffalo hunter, and – foremost – a showman of the highest caliber. He won the Medal of Honor and he was a 32nd degree Free Mason. It is said that William Cody earned his nickname after singlehandedly taking out almost 4,300 head of bison in an eighteen month period. We cannot accuse him of wanton slaughter, however, since they were killed for food, and they numbered in the millions at the time (although they are almost extinct now). He seems to have been a respectful emissary to the Indian nations, and he employed many willing Native Americans in his “Wild West” shows, which toured all over the United States and Europe to great acclaim, including command performances before crowned heads. All over Europe, as well as in America, people clamored to see this embodiment of a dying era in frontier history. When he died of kidney failure in 1917, he was widely mourned, and since that time his legend has dimmed little with the years.