Cassandra (name)
![]() Cassandra, by Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys, 1885. | |
Pronunciation | /kəˈsændrə/ Greek: [kas:ándra] |
---|---|
Gender | Female |
Origin | |
Word/name | Greek mythology |
Meaning | the one who shines and excels over men[1] |
Other names | |
Related names | Casandra, Cassie, Casey, Sandra, Sandy |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Cassandra1.jpeg/220px-Cassandra1.jpeg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Lady_Emma_Hamilton%2C_as_Cassandra%2C_by_George_Romney.jpg/220px-Lady_Emma_Hamilton%2C_as_Cassandra%2C_by_George_Romney.jpg)
Cassandra, also spelt Kassandra, is a feminine given name of Greek origin. Cassander[1] is the masculine form of Cassandra. In Greek mythology, Cassandra (Greek: Κασσάνδρα) was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. She had the gift of prophecy, but was cursed so that none would believe her prophecies. The name has been in occasional use since the Middle Ages. The usual English nickname is Cassie.[2] Cassandre is the French version of the name.[3]
Usage
The name peaked in popularity in the United States in 1990 with more than 7,000 girls named Cassandra born that year. The name remains among the top 1,000 most popular names for newborn American girls but has since declined in use, with about 452 American girls called Cassandra in 2022. Another 188 American newborn girls were called Kassandra that year.[4] It is also among the 500 most popular names for newborn girls in Canada, where the name ranked 407th on the popularity chart in 2021 with 75 uses. Another 25 Canadian newborn girls were called Kassandra and another 11 Canadian newborn girls were called Cassandre in 2021.[5] It has been among the 1,000 most used names for newborn girls in England and Wales at different points between 1996 and 2021, when it ranked in 747th place.[6] It is a common name in Greece and countries where Germanic and Romance languages are spoken.
People
- Cassandra Austen (1773–1845), English artist and elder sister of Jane Austen
- Cassandra Bankson (born 1992), American model, student and YouTube personality
- Cassandre Berdoz, Swiss event manager and Watchman of Lausanne Cathedral
- Cassie Bernall (1981–1999), victim of the Columbine High School massacre
- Cassandra Clare (born 1973), American author
- Cassandra Pickett Durham (1824–1885), American physician and the first woman to earn a medical degree in the state of Georgia
- Cassandra Fairbanks (born 1985), American journalist and activist
- Cassie Jaye (born 1986), American actress and film director, known for the movie The Red Pill
- Cassandra Jean (born 1985), American actress, model, and beauty pageant queen
- Cassandra Kelly, Australian company director
- Cassandra Kelly (athlete) (born 1963), athlete from New Zealand
- Cassandra Lee Morris (born 1982), American voice actress
- Cassie Lewis (born 1974), Papua New Guinea born Australian poet, long time US resident
- Cassandra Lynn (1979–2014), American model
- Cassy O'Connor (born 1967), Australian politician
- Cassandra Peterson (born 1951), American actress
- Cassandra Ponti (born 1982), Filipino TV contestant
- Cassandra Potter (born 1981), American curler
- Cassie Scerbo (born 1990), American actress, singer and dancer
- Cassie Steele (born 1989), Canadian actress
- Cassandra Steen (born 1980), German singer
- Cassandra Szoeke, Australian medical researcher
- Cassandra Tate (born 1990), American athlete
- Cassandra Thorburn (born 1971), Australian children's author
- Cassandra Trenary, American ballet dancer
- Cassie Ventura (born 1986), American singer
- Cassandra Whitehead (born 1985), American model and beauty pageant titleholder
- Cassandra Williams, Dominican politician
- Cassandra Wilson (born 1955), American jazz singer
- Regina Cassandra (born 1990), Indian actress
Fictional characters
- Cassandra, one of the Jellicle cats in the musical Cats
- Cassandra (Cassy), from the Canadian cartoon series Ultimate Book of Spells
- Cassandra, from the American animated television series Tangled: The Series
- Cassandra (Doctor Who), from the British science fiction television series
- Cassandra (Encantadia), in Etheria
- Cassandra (Stargate), in the American science fiction television series Stargate
- Cassie Ainsworth, in the television series Skins
- Cassandra Alexandra, Grecian character from the Soul series of fighting games
- Cassie Cage, Mortal Kombat character
- Cassandra Cain, one of the Batgirls in the DC Comics Universe
- Cassandra Cooper, adoptive daughter of the Ingalls family on the show Little House on the Prairie
- Cassandra Foster, on the American soap opera All My Children
- Cassandra Freedman, on the Australian soap opera Neighbours
- Cassie Hack, in the Hack/Slash comic books
- Cassandra "Casey" Jones, a character in the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Cassandra Lang, in the Marvel Comics universe
- Cassandra Mortmain, narrator of Dodie Smith's 1948 novel I Capture the Castle
- Cassandra Nova, Marvel supervillainess and the archenemy of Charles Xavier
- Cassie Palmer, in the Cassandra Palmer novel series
- Cassandra Pentaghast, in the Dragon Age franchise
- Cassandra "Cassie" Railly, a main character in the television series 12 Monkeys
- Cassandra Rawlins, from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless
- Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark), the current Wonder Girl in the DC Comics Universe
- Cassandra Spender, Patient X from The X-Files
- Cassandra Trelawney, ancestor of Sybill Trelawney, a character in the Harry Potter series
- Cassandra Trotter, from the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses
- Cassie Turner, on the Australian soap opera Home and Away
- Cassie Layne Winslow, from the American daytime soap opera Guiding Light
- Kassandra, a playable character in Assassin's Creed Odyssey
- Cassandra "Cassie" Salazar, in the Netflix original Purple Hearts
- Madame Kassandra, the main villainess and final boss in SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake
References
- ^ a b "Cassander – Name's Meaning of Cassander". NameDoctor. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
- ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 49. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
- ^ Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Cassandre". Behind the Name.
- ^ "Popularity of Name Cassandra". www.ssa.gov. United States Social Security Administration. 12 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ "First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators". www150.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Campbell, Mike. "Popularity of the Name Cassandra in England and Wales". Behind the Name.