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