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Kassandra

Girl name · 3 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Kassandra: 3 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to girls, peaking at 3 births in 1990.

Kassandra is the classic English form of the Greek Kassandra, derived from kékasmai ("to shine") and aner ("man")—often interpreted as "shining upon men" or, more fancifully, "she who entangles men." In Greek myth, she was the tragic Trojan princess cursed to utter true prophecies no one believed. The name feels both ancient and modern, popularised partly through the Roman poet Horace's praise of her beauty. In Scotland, it emerged as a rarer, more elaborate spin on Cassandra, finding favour particularly in the 1990s and 2000s. Variant forms include Casandra and Kasandra, while the majestic and once-ubiquitous actress Kassandra Peterson brought the name to 1960s television screens. Though no major place name flows directly from her, the root *kass-* also underpins the Sanskrit kāśyapa, a sage linked with time and light.