The name [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] has recently been growing on me but I have some concerns regarding its implications. First off, since the primary association most people would have is [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] [name_u]Scott[/name_u] [name_m]King[/name_m] and you rarely hear it otherwise, would you assume that somebody named [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] is directly named after her? Of course that would be a wonderful association to have, but if I did use the name I wouldn’t be intending to honor her directly. And second and more importantly, would you say that it’s heavily associated with the [name_m]Black[/name_m] community to the point where it would be weird or disrespectful for a white person to use it? I apologize if the way I worded this comes across as insensitive at all or if I’m ignorant for even asking about this, but I honestly don’t know a lot about the history of the name and would want to make sure there aren’t any potential issues before I ever used it.
Also, kind of unrelated, but do you think [name_f]Cora[/name_f] would work as a nickname, or would that be weird since it’s derived from it?
Oh and I’m not expecting or anything btw, this is all hypothetical.
[name_f]Coretta[/name_f] is gorgeous - sharp and distinctive, though I would immediately think of [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] [name_u]Scott[/name_u] [name_m]King[/name_m] as it’s the only time I’ve seen it used. As you say, it’s a wonderful association, but just like you, I’d probably pause as a white person in wondering if I was taking a name of significance. I’m not sure it’s totally unusable or disrespectful though
[name_f]Cora[/name_f] works as a nickname 
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I’ve always liked [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] as a name. I distinctly remember learning about [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] [name_u]Scott[/name_u] [name_m]King[/name_m] and thinking she had a really awesome-sounding name, and I always wondered why it didn’t take off more than it did (sidenote: same thing with [name_f]Aretha[/name_f] via [name_u]Franklin[/name_u] which I also think is a cool sounding name).
However, [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] [name_u]Scott[/name_u] [name_m]King[/name_m] is the major and only association I have. Not gonna lie, the name is very strongly tied to her. I’m not sure if it’s unusable for a white person (I’m white myself so can’t really say) but I agree that I would take pause before using it because it also does seem pretty tied to the [name_m]Black[/name_m] community.
[name_f]Cora[/name_f] totally works as a nickname.
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I’ve only heard of this name in the context of [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] [name_u]Scott[/name_u] [name_m]King[/name_m] as well. (Does it have a wider history of use?) I would probably think a young person named [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] would be named after [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] [name_u]Scott[/name_u] [name_m]King[/name_m], just because it doesn’t have many other namesakes or associations (that I’m aware of).
I am not [name_m]Black[/name_m] so I can’t really comment on your second question. I will say that some people might expect a woman named [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] to be [name_m]Black[/name_m], which could be awkward for a white girl/woman with this name.
I think [name_f]Cora[/name_f] works fine as a nickname.
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I think [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] is a strong, sophisticated, and unexpected choice. The name ranked briefly in the US from 1968-1970 (which makes sense), so it’s not unique to [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] [name_u]Scott[/name_u] [name_m]King[/name_m]. I think the similarity to popular [name_f]Cora[/name_f] and other “vintage” picks like [name_f]Etta[/name_f], [name_f]Loretta[/name_f], [name_f]Rosetta[/name_f], [name_f]Marietta[/name_f], [name_f]Henrietta[/name_f], etc keep it from feeling like a one-person name.
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No to the first two questions; yes to the last. [name_f]May[/name_f] I suggest [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] and [name_f]Lettice[/name_f] as sisters?
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Absolutely love [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] – I never see her mentioned on here! I do think [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] [name_u]Scott[/name_u] [name_m]King[/name_m] will be the primary association for most people, and I’m not sure if it would be weird or disrespectful. I think [name_f]Cora[/name_f] “Coretta” would be totally fine, but I’m not so sure about [name_f]Coretta[/name_f] “Cora,” if that makes sense?
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