Cordelia

Gender Feminine
Usage Literature, English
Pronounced Pron. kawr-DEE-lee-ə(English) kawr-DEEL-yə(English)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

From Cordeilla, a name appearing in the 12th-century chronicles [1] of Geoffrey of Monmouth, borne by the youngest of the three daughters of King Leir and the only one to remain loyal to her father. Geoffrey possibly based her name on that of Creiddylad, a character from Welsh legend.

The spelling was later altered to Cordelia when Geoffrey's story was adapted by others, including Edmund Spenser in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590) and Shakespeare in his tragedy King Lear (1606).

Related Names

VariantCordeilla(Literature)

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   refined   strange   complex   serious   nerdy  

Categories

American Horror Story characters, Anne of Green Gables characters, artists, Atelier characters, child actors, currently out of the US top 1000, Diabolik Lovers characters, Edmund Spenser characters, ends in -lia, Fire Emblem characters, GOSICK characters, Harry Belafonte repertoire, isograms, literature, moons, moons of Uranus, painters, princesses, Shakespearean characters, Stephen King characters, uncertain etymology, warriors, witches, wives of Joseph Smith

Sources & References

  1. Page at https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Six_Old_English_Chronicles/Geoffrey%27s_British_History/Book_2.
Entry updated January 21, 2022