Coharie is the name for the Great Coharie Creek [1] and its tributary the Little Coharie Creek, both in Sampson County, North Carolina. [2] The Great Coharie Creek is a tributary of the Black River that joins the Cape Fear River that flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
Coharie also refers to the Coharie Formation, named for the creeks, a terrace, and shoreline at about 215 feet above sea level on the mid- to southern East Coast. [3]
The name Coharie was adopted by the Coharie Intra-tribal Council, Inc., a state-recognized tribe in North Carolina. The tribe claims "descent from certain tribes of Indians originally inhabiting the coastal regions of North Carolina." [4] In 1910, residents of Herrings Township along the Coharie creeks identified as being of Croatan descent. [5]
Coharie could be an Iroquoian, perhaps Tuscarora language, word that translates as driftwood. [6]