Cordelia

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Girl · Uncertain, possibly Celtic

Cordelia

Say it: kor-DEE-lee-uh

Try it with your surname

Meaning

Shakespeare's form of Cordeilla, the legendary British princess; often linked with Latin cor 'heart', but that is not proved.

Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.

Used in the 19th century and revived recently.

Its wave through time

Fading since the 1880s

In the United States

02040608018801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1880per 100,000 babies of that sex
  • 11,694 babies given this name since 1880
  • At its height in 1880, about 1 in 1,600 girls
  • 251 babies in 2020

Through the ages

  1. Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
  2. The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

EnglishAmerican

The family of the name

ItalianCordelia

Famous bearers

  • Cordelia, daughter in King Lear

Names worth a look

Where this comes from

  • Well-known works of literature
  • National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.