Cassander
Man able to stand alone, from the Greek elements 'kassi' (meaning excellency) and 'anēr' (man).
Name Census estimates that about 27 living Americans carry the first name Cassander. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 80.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Cassander today is around 43 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cassander births was 1976 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cassander. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cassander. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
27
~ 1 in 12,694,605 Americans
Peak year
1976
7 babies that year
Average age
43
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,386
Tracked since 1966
Gender
Gender distribution for Cassander
Cassander is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 30 total registrations, 6 (20.0%) were male and 24 (80.0%) were female.
Cassander as a male name
- Ranked #11,137 in 2024
- 6 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (6 births)
Cassander as a female name
- Ranked #7,386 in 1976
- 7 female births in 1976
- Peak: 1976 (7 births)
Popularity
Cassander: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cassander from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 13 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Cassander remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cassander 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 Cassander during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cassander
Cassander is a masculine given name with Greek origins, derived from the ancient Greek name Kassandros. The name dates back to the 4th century BC and is believed to be a compound of the words "kekasmai" meaning "to excel" and "aner" meaning "man". It can be loosely translated to mean "the excelling man" or "the illustrious man".
The name Cassander has strong historical ties to ancient Macedonia. It was the name of one of Alexander the Great's generals and successors, Cassander, who ruled Macedonia from 305 BC to 297 BC. He played a pivotal role in the events following Alexander's death and the subsequent wars of the Diadochi.
In Greek mythology, Cassander was also the name of the son of Antipater, one of Alexander the Great's most trusted generals. According to legends, Cassander was gifted with the power of prophecy and foretold the fall of Troy. His warnings, however, were disregarded by the Trojans, leading to their eventual downfall.
The earliest recorded use of the name Cassander can be traced back to ancient Greece and Macedonia. Some notable historical figures who bore this name include Cassander of Macedon (350 BC - 297 BC), the King of Macedonia and one of Alexander's successors. Cassander Longinus (c. 210 AD - c. 273 AD) was a Neoplatonic philosopher and the teacher of Porphyry and Longinus.
In the Middle Ages, the name Cassander was occasionally used in Europe, although it was not as common as in ancient times. One notable bearer was Cassander of Augsburg (c. 400 AD), a Christian martyr and saint who was beheaded during the reign of Diocletian.
During the Renaissance period, the name saw a resurgence in popularity, particularly among scholars and intellectuals who were inspired by classical Greek culture. Cassander Theodat (1521-1566) was a German philologist and translator, while Cassander Bürglin (c. 1500-1557) was a Swiss Reformation theologian.
Throughout history, the name Cassander has been associated with individuals who excelled in various fields, reflecting its meaning of "the illustrious man". From ancient rulers and philosophers to Christian martyrs and Renaissance scholars, the name has left an indelible mark on the annals of human civilization.
People
Cassander + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cassander 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
Cassander: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cassander?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 27 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cassander 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 12,694,605 US residents.
Is Cassander a common name?
We classify Cassander as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 30 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cassander most popular?
The single biggest year for Cassander was 1976, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cassander is about 43 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cassander in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cassander a female name?
Yes, 80.0% of people registered as Cassander 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.
Is Cassander still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cassander in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cassander can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Cassander?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.