Cassandra
Meaning
possibly Greek kekasmai "to excel, to surpass" with aner "man"; the Trojan prophetess
The story
Cassandra is one of the oldest cautionary tales in the name book. Behind the Name gives the Greek possibly as kekasmai, "to excel, to surpass", with aner, "man", and notes another theory tying the first element to kassyo, "to stitch up a plot". In myth she is the Trojan princess granted prophecy by Apollo, cursed to be right and unbelieved. The American record ran high through the century's second half: about 2,700 girls in the 1940s, about 16,800 in the 1960s, about 44,900 in the 1980s and about 50,400 in the 1990s, easing to about 6,400 in the 2010s and about 2,800 so far this decade. Brazil counts about 4,500, median age 25. Two possible readings, one myth, and four syllables that carry all of it.
Cassandra's name family
One shared root links 4 names across 2 languages.
Shared root: the Trojan prophetess Kassandra; possibly kekasmai "to excel, to surpass" with aner "man", the derivation debated
The family
More branches
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Cassandra peaked in the 1990s and the 2000s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
4,509 people · the #2,946 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 45,455 · median age 25
Among people named Cassandra living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2000s than in any other decade.
The census also counted 119 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Cassandra
People given the name Cassandra in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1970 to 1999. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Cassandra deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Cassandra truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Cassandra fits with your family’s names and surname.
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