Casandra
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "she who entangles men".
Name Census estimates that about 14,661 living Americans carry the first name Casandra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Casandra today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Casandra births was 1990 (642 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Casandra. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
15K
~ 1 in 23,379 Americans
Peak year
1990
642 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1984 SSA rank
#5,048
Tracked since 1940
Gender
Gender distribution for Casandra
Out of the 15,782 babies given the name Casandra since 1880, 100.0% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Casandra as a male name
- Ranked #5,048 in 1984
- 7 male births in 1984
- Peak: 1984 (7 births)
Casandra as a female name
- Ranked #8,522 in 2024
- 12 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1990 (642 births)
Popularity
Casandra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Casandra from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 4,605 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Casandra by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Casandra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Casandras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 45 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Casandra, while New Hampshire, Hawaii, South Dakota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 277 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Casandra
The name Casandra originated from Ancient Greek, derived from the elements 'kassandra', meaning 'she who entangles men'. It likely emerged around the 8th century BC in the region of Ancient Greece. The name was borne by the mythological princess Cassandra, known for her gift of prophecy and her tragic fate of having her predictions ignored.
Cassandra was a prominent figure in Greek mythology, appearing in various ancient texts, including Homer's Iliad and Aeschylus' Agamemnon. She was the daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. Despite being blessed with the ability to foretell the future, she was cursed by Apollo to never be believed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 5th century BC, when a Greek woman named Casandra was mentioned in the writings of the historian Herodotus. In ancient Rome, the name was adapted to the Latin form 'Cassandra'.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Casandra or its variations. One of the most famous was Casandra Fedele (1465-1558), an Italian Renaissance scholar and poet, renowned for her erudition and contributions to the humanist movement.
Another prominent figure was Casandra Clemmer (1888-1965), an American actress and dancer who performed on Broadway and in vaudeville shows during the early 20th century.
Casandra Ventura (born 1986), known professionally as Cassie, is a contemporary American singer, model, and actress, known for her hit songs "Me & U" and "Long Way 2 Go".
In literature, Casandra Mortmain is the name of the protagonist in the novel "The Pursuit of Love" by Nancy Mitford, published in 1945.
Casandra Brené Brown (born 1965) is an American research professor, lecturer, and author, known for her groundbreaking work on vulnerability, courage, and shame.
People
Casandra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Casandra as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Casandra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Casandra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14,661 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Casandra going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 23,379 US residents.
Is Casandra a common name?
We classify Casandra as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15,782 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Casandra most popular?
The single biggest year for Casandra was 1990, when 642 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Casandra is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Casandra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Casandra in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.