| Cassandra | Eleanor | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Shining upon men | Of uncertain origin, often “light” |
| Origin | Greek | Greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | kuh-SAN-druh | EL-uh-ner |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1902 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1990 (7,054) | 1920 (8,497) |
| In 2025 | 463 | 7,649 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Cassandra | Eleanor |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,796 | 41,966 |
| 2010s | 6,365 | 40,129 |
| 2000s | 20,128 | 11,187 |
| 1990s | 50,364 | 4,871 |
| 1980s | 44,911 | 2,789 |
| 1970s | 19,016 | 2,750 |
| 1960s | 16,765 | 5,938 |
| 1950s | 7,692 | 11,065 |
| 1940s | 2,660 | 23,761 |
| 1930s | 164 | 46,379 |
| 1920s | 76 | 74,760 |
| 1910s | 61 | 54,163 |
| 1900s | 10 | 10,030 |
| 1890s | 0 | 4,754 |
| 1880s | 0 | 2,136 |
Cassandra is usually read “shining” or “excelling over men”; she is the tragic prophetess of Troy.
A name of debated origin, long associated with the Greek for “light” or “bright.” Borne by medieval queens.
Eleanor is more popular than Cassandra today: about 7,649 US babies were given the name Eleanor in 2025, compared with 463 named Cassandra.
Cassandra means Shining upon men (Greek origin), while Eleanor means Of uncertain origin, often “light” (Greek origin).
In US records, Cassandra first appears in 1902 and Eleanor in 1880, so Eleanor has the longer recorded history.