Cordelia
Cordelia was the 981st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 258 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 204th; the most babies were born in 2015 (286). Over the last ten years it has moved down 32 places. More babies were named Cordelia in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Latin, English
Say it kor-DEE-lee-uh /kɔrˈdiliə/
- Rank in 2025
- #981 girls, up 25 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 258girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2015286 babies
- Total since 1880
- 12,906babies recorded
What does the name Cordelia mean?
Cordelia is best known as the faithful youngest daughter in Shakespeare's King Lear. Shakespeare's spelling adapts a name from British legendary history recorded as Cordeilla and similar forms. Wiktionary suggests it may derive from Cordula, the name of a companion of Saint Ursula, which is associated with Latin cor (genitive cordis) 'heart'. The often repeated meaning 'heart' rests on this uncertain link.
Cordula (Late Latin, “a saint's name, associated with cor 'heart'”)cor (Latin, “heart”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The derivation from Cordula (and so 'heart') is only possible, not established.
Other explanations you may read: means 'heart' (from Latin cor).
Related names: Cordula, Delia, Cora.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Cordelia', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Cordula', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- William Shakespeare, King Lear (Project Gutenberg eBook #1128), Project Gutenberg
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Nicknames for Cordelia
The usual nicknames for Cordelia are Delia and Cordy. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Cordelia in the last five years, 59 were named Delia, against 191 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delia | Traditional | #1,561 | 709 |
| Cordy | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Cordelias go by each one.
Cordelia popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #981 | 258 |
| 2020 | #1,006 | 252 |
| 2010 | #1,301 | 181 |
| 2000 | #2,409 | 64 |
| 1990 | #2,971 | 38 |
| 1980 | #2,396 | 40 |
| 1970 | #2,086 | 39 |
| 1960 | #1,227 | 79 |
| 1950 | #980 | 86 |
| 1940 | #742 | 86 |
| 1930 | #743 | 89 |
| 1920 | #661 | 120 |
| 1910 | #461 | 75 |
| 1900 | #375 | 79 |
| 1890 | #364 | 48 |
| 1880 | #204 | 58 |
How popular is Cordelia, counting every spelling?
Cordelia is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #914 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #981 for Cordelia on its own. Together these spellings went to 271 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cordelia | 258 | #981 | 1,206 |
| Kordelia | 13 | #8,123 | 38 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Cordelia?
258 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cordelia (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Cordelia born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 33 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cordelia.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cordelia?
About 7,700 people born in the US named Cordelia are alive today, with a median age of 17; half are between 8 and 51. That makes Cordelia mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Cordelia by state
How common Cordelia was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Wisconsin (2.0×), Minnesota (2.0×), Tennessee (2.0×), Virginia (1.7×), Ohio (1.6×). In 22 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cordelia: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cordelia, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Cordelia · Sibling names for Cordelia
Questions about the name Cordelia
What does Cordelia mean?
The origin of Cordelia is uncertain: the derivation from Cordula (and so 'heart') is only possible, not established.
How popular is the name Cordelia?
Cordelia was the 981st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 258 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 204th; the most babies were born in 2015 (286). Over the last ten years it has moved down 32 places. More babies were named Cordelia in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Cordelia a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Cordelia in the US.
Where is Cordelia most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cordelia was most common in Wisconsin (0.30 per 1,000 girls), followed by Minnesota and Tennessee.