| Cordelia | Oriana | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Of debated origin, “heart” | golden (disputed) |
| Origin | Latin | latin |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | kor-DEEL-yuh | or-ee-AH-nah |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2015 (286) | 2003 (150) |
| In 2025 | 258 | 0 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Cordelia | Oriana |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,458 | 679 |
| 2010s | 2,277 | 929 |
| 2000s | 1,218 | 965 |
| 1990s | 367 | 800 |
| 1980s | 338 | 305 |
| 1970s | 352 | 178 |
| 1960s | 566 | 27 |
| 1950s | 772 | 0 |
| 1940s | 780 | 0 |
| 1930s | 839 | 0 |
| 1920s | 1,131 | 0 |
| 1910s | 1,087 | 0 |
| 1900s | 600 | 0 |
| 1890s | 575 | 0 |
| 1880s | 546 | 0 |
A literary name of debated roots, often linked to the Latin cor, “heart.” Cordelia is King Lear’s loyal daughter.
Etymology is disputed: commonly linked to Latin 'aurum' (gold), giving 'golden', but equally attributed to Latin 'oriri' / 'oriens' (to rise, dawn), giving 'dawn' or 'sunrise' — often glossed 'golden dawn'. A possible Iberian/Basque origin is also proposed. Flagged as uncertain; the gold reading is one of several.
Cordelia is more popular than Oriana today: about 258 US babies were given the name Cordelia in 2025, compared with 0 named Oriana.
Cordelia means Of debated origin, “heart” (Latin origin), while Oriana means golden (disputed) (latin origin).
In US records, Cordelia first appears in 1880 and Oriana in 0, so Oriana has the longer recorded history.