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