| Cassandra | Penelope | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Shining upon men | Weaver (disputed) |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | kuh-SAN-druh | peh-NEL-oh-pee |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1902 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1990 (7,054) | 2019 (6,734) |
| In 2025 | 463 | 6,225 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Cassandra | Penelope |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,796 | 37,005 |
| 2010s | 6,365 | 47,614 |
| 2000s | 20,128 | 5,677 |
| 1990s | 50,364 | 795 |
| 1980s | 44,911 | 609 |
| 1970s | 19,016 | 1,750 |
| 1960s | 16,765 | 2,871 |
| 1950s | 7,692 | 4,758 |
| 1940s | 2,660 | 6,383 |
| 1930s | 164 | 1,109 |
| 1920s | 76 | 562 |
| 1910s | 61 | 248 |
| 1900s | 10 | 29 |
| 1890s | 0 | 36 |
| 1880s | 0 | 34 |
Cassandra is usually read “shining” or “excelling over men”; she is the tragic prophetess of Troy.
Borne by the faithful wife of Odysseus. The meaning is uncertain: one line derives it from 'pene' ('thread, weft') giving 'weaver', while another ties it to 'penelops', a type of duck or waterfowl. Both readings are considered folk etymologies by some classicists, so the sense is unsettled.
Penelope is more popular than Cassandra today: about 6,225 US babies were given the name Penelope in 2025, compared with 463 named Cassandra.
Cassandra means Shining upon men (Greek origin), while Penelope means Weaver (disputed) (greek origin).
In US records, Cassandra first appears in 1902 and Penelope in 1880, so Penelope has the longer recorded history.