| Cordelia | Estella | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Of debated origin, “heart” | Star |
| Origin | Latin | latin |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | kor-DEEL-yuh | es-TEL-uh |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2015 (286) | 1921 (638) |
| In 2025 | 258 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Cordelia | Estella |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,458 | 3,139 |
| 2010s | 2,277 | 3,053 |
| 2000s | 1,218 | 1,557 |
| 1990s | 367 | 617 |
| 1980s | 338 | 800 |
| 1970s | 352 | 1,200 |
| 1960s | 566 | 2,083 |
| 1950s | 772 | 3,380 |
| 1940s | 780 | 3,731 |
| 1930s | 839 | 3,908 |
| 1920s | 1,131 | 5,797 |
| 1910s | 1,087 | 5,092 |
| 1900s | 600 | 3,068 |
| 1890s | 575 | 3,174 |
| 1880s | 546 | 2,321 |
A literary name of debated roots, often linked to the Latin cor, “heart.” Cordelia is King Lear’s loyal daughter.
A Latinate elaboration of Estelle, both tracing to Latin 'stella' ('star'). Charles Dickens used it for a character in 'Great Expectations'.
Cordelia is more popular than Estella today: about 258 US babies were given the name Cordelia in 2025, compared with 0 named Estella.
Cordelia means Of debated origin, “heart” (Latin origin), while Estella means Star (latin origin).
In US records, Cordelia first appears in 1880 and Estella in 0, so Estella has the longer recorded history.