Cordelia is a feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

. It was borne by the tragic heroine of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' (1606), a character based on the legendary queen

Cordelia Cordelia is a feminine given name. It was borne by the tragic heroine of Shakespeare's ''King Lear'' (1606), a character based on the legendary queen Cordelia. The name is of uncertain origin. It is popularly associated with Latin '' cor'' (gen ...

. The name is of uncertain origin. It is popularly associated with

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

'' cor'' (

genitive In grammar, the genitive case ( abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can ...

cordis The Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) is the European Commission's primary public repository and portal to disseminate information on all European Union (EU) funded research projects and their results in the broadest se ...

'') "

heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

", and has also been linked with the Welsh name

Creiddylad Creiddylad (also known as ''Creirddylad'', ''Creurdilad'', ''Creudylad'' or ''Kreiddylat''), daughter of King Lludd, is a minor character in the early medieval Welsh Arthurian tale ''Culhwch ac Olwen''. Role in Welsh tradition Creiddylad, dau ...

, allegedly meaning "jewel of the sea", but it may derive from the French ''coeur de lion'' "heart of a lion".

Notable people with the name

Cordelia of Britain Cordelia (or Cordeilla) was a legendary Queen of the Britons, as recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. She came to power in 855BC. She was the youngest daughter of Leir and the second ruling queen of pre-Roman Britain. There is no independent his ...

, legendary queen of the Britons, youngest daughter of King Leir * Cordelia Agbebaku (1961–2017), Nigerian academic and former vice-chancellor of Ambrose Alli University *

Cordelia Botkin Cordelia Botkin (1854 – March 7, 1910) was an American murderer who sent a box of poisoned candy to her ex-lover's wife. This was the first American prosecution for a crime which took place in two different jurisdictions, as Botkin had sent the ...

(1854–1910), American murderer *

Cordelia Bugeja Cordelia Bugeja (born 5 March 1976) is a British actress, best known for her roles as Julie in ''Not Going Out'', Nikki in ''EastEnders'', Melanie Hart in ''Family Affairs'', and sex worker Kate in '' Respectable''. Career From 1993 to 1994 s ...

(born 1976), British actress * Cordelia Cameron, Australian actor-manager *

Cordelia Camp Cordelia Camp (May 22, 1884 – July 10, 1973) was an American educator. She was a prolific writer and was president of Delta Kappa Gamma in 1942. She was also the director of student teaching at Western Carolina College for twenty-three years. ...

, American educator *

Cordelia Candelaria Cordelia Chávez Candelaria (born September 14, 1943) is an American educator and writer of Hispanic descent. Early life and education Candelaria was born on September 14, 1943, in Deming, New Mexico, to Ray J. Chávez and Eloida Trujillo. She ...

(born 1943), American educator and writer *

Cordelia Throop Cole Cordelia Throop Cole (, Throop; November 17, 1833 – April 29, 1900) was a 19th-century American social reformer, who lectured, wrote, and edited on behalf the temperance crusade and social purity movement. She made valuable contributions with h ...

(1833–1900), American social reformer *

Cordelia Elizabeth Cook Cordelia Elizabeth Cook (March 17, 1919 – June 19, 1996) was an American combat nurse in the United States Army Nurse Corps during World War II. She was the first woman in the U.S. Army to receive both the Bronze Star Medal award and the Purp ...

(1919–1996), American combat nurse *

Cordelia Adams Crawford Cordelia Adams Crawford (1865–1943) was a pioneer and healer in Arizona. She was known for her generosity to multiple, often conflicting, factions. Biography Cordelia Adams was born on February 27, 1865, to Emily and John Adams in Willow Cre ...

(1865–1943), American pioneer and healer *

Cordelia Edvardson Cordelia Maria Edvardson (née Langgässer; 1 January 1929 – 29 October 2012) was a German-born Swedish journalist, author and Holocaust survivor. She was the Jerusalem correspondent for ''Svenska Dagbladet'', a Swedish daily newspaper, from 19 ...

(1929–2012), German-born Swedish journalist, author and Holocaust survivor *

Cordelia Fine Cordelia Fine (born 1975) is a Canadian-born British philosopher of science, psychologist, writer, and science communicator, who lives in Australia. she is a full professor in the History and Philosophy of Science programme at the University o ...

(born 1975), British academic psychologist and writer *

Cordelia Agnes Greene Cordelia A. Greene (July 5, 1831 – January 28, 1905) was a 19th-century American physician, Benefactor (law), benefactor, and Women's suffrage in the United States, suffragist from Upstate New York. She was the founder and director of the Castil ...

(1831–1905), physician, philanthropist and suffragist from Upstate New York * Cordelia Griffith (born 1995), English cricketer *

Cordelia Gundolf Cordelia Gundolf (30 November 1917 – 10 September 2008) was an Italian language educator in Australia, and an expert in Italian literature, publishing a number of works on the topic. Background Born in Munich, Germany on 31 November 1917, Gun ...

(1917–2008), German academic and educator * Cordelia Harvey (1824–1895), First Lady of Wisconsin Governor Louis Harvey, known for founding Civil War Orphans' homes and advocating for war field hospital conditions *Cordelia Hawkins, eponym of the U.S. town of

Cordele, Georgia Cordele is a city in and the county seat of Crisp County, Georgia. The population was 11,165 at the 2010 census, and 10,220 in 2020. Cordele calls itself the watermelon capital of the world. History 19th century Cordele was incorporated on ...

* Cordelia Hood (1913–2011), American counter-intelligence agent *

Cordelia Howard Cordelia Howard ( – ) was a child actress on the American stage. Her most famous role was as Little Eva in the stage adaptation of ''Uncle Tom's Cabin.'' One commentator wrote "The name of Little Cordelia has become synonymous with that of Li ...

(1848–1941), American child actress *

Cordelia James, Baroness James of Rusholme Cordelia is a feminine given name. It was borne by the tragic heroine of Shakespeare's '' King Lear'' (1606), a character based on the legendary queen Cordelia. The name is of uncertain origin. It is popularly associated with Latin '' cor'' ( g ...

(1912–2007), British educator and justice of the peace *Cordelia Knott (1890–1974), wife of

Walter Knott Walter Marvin Knott (December 11, 1889 – December 3, 1981) was an American farmer and businessman who founded the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in Buena Park, California, introduced and mass-marketed the boysenberry, and founded the Knott ...

and founder of Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant at Knott's Berry Farm * Cordelia Oliver (1923–2009), Scottish journalist, painter and art critic * Cordelia Scaife May (1928–2005), American heiress and philanthropist * Cordelia Schmid, German computer vision researcher * Cordelia Stanwood (1865–1958), American ornithologist, wildlife photographer, artisan and writer *

Cordelia Strube Cordelia Strube (born 1960), is a Canadian playwright and novelist. Raised in Montreal, Quebec, Strube began her career as an actor. After winning a CBC Literary Award for her first radio play, ''Mortal'', she wrote nine more radio plays for CBC ...

(born 1960), Canadian playwright and novelist * Cordelia Urueta Sierra (1908–1995), Mexican artist * Cordelia Mendoza, American antiquarian and appraiser * Cordelia Wege (born 1976), German actress * Cordelia Wilson (1873–1953), American painter of New Mexico and American Southwest landscapes

Fictional characters

*A supposed anglicization of ''Creiddylad'', the name of a character in Welsh mythology *

Cordelia (King Lear) Cordelia is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's tragic play ''King Lear''. Cordelia is the youngest of King Lear's three daughters and his favorite. After her elderly father offers her the opportunity to profess her love to him in retu ...

, a central character in William Shakespeare's tragic play ''

'' *Cordelia, the character who is the object of seduction in Kierkegaard's ''The Seducer's Diary'' (a long section in his book ''Either/Or'') *Cordelia, the main character of the eponymous Dutch adult comic strip by Belgian cartoonist "ILAH" ( Inge Heremans) *Cordelia, character in James Lapine and William Finn's 1990 off-Broadway musical ''

Falsettoland ''Falsettoland'' is a musical with a book by James Lapine, with music and lyrics by William Finn. Following '' In Trousers'' and ''March of the Falsettos'', it is the third in a trio of one-act musicals centering on Marvin, his wife Trina, his ps ...

'' and later its two Broadway revivals, renamed ''

Falsettos ''Falsettos'' is a sung-through musical theatre, musical with a book by William Finn and James Lapine, and music and lyrics by Finn. The musical consists of ''March of the Falsettos'' (1981) and ''Falsettoland'' (1990), the last two installment ...

'' *Cordelia Frost, character in MARVEL's "

Emma Frost Emma Grace Frost is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne (comics), John Byrne, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''The Uncanny ...

" comics, Emma's sister *Cordelia, wife of Dan Mulligan in a series of musicals written and produced by Edward Harrigan

Anime

* Cordelia Capulet, Japanese anime character in "

Romeo x Juliet Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a pries ...

" * Cordelia Gallo, Japanese anime character in "

Gosick is a Japanese light novel series written by Kazuki Sakuraba, with illustrations by Hinata Takeda. The series includes 13 novels published by Fujimi Shobo between December 2003 and July 2011. Set in a fictional European country in 1924, ...

" * Cordelia Glauca, Japanese anime character in ''

Tantei Opera Milky Holmes is a media franchise owned by the Japanese entertainment company Bushiroad. The first release was an Internet radio drama, released in December 2009. An anime adaptation by J.C.Staff aired between October and December 2010, with a sp ...

'' *Cordelia, Japanese anime character in ''

Diabolik Lovers is a Japanese otome game franchise by Rejet. Its first entry was released in October 2012 for the PlayStation Portable system. The franchise has released seven games with the first two having been remastered for the PlayStation Vita ...

Films and television shows

*Cordelia, the titular character in the silent film '' Cordelia the Magnificent'' * Cordelia Abbott, in the television soap opera ''

The Young and The Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...

'' *

Cordelia Chase Cordelia Chase is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''; she also appeared on ''Buffy's'' spin-off series, ''Angel''. Portrayed by Charisma Carpenter, the character appears as a series ...

, in the television series ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

'' and ''

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'' * Cordelia Cupp, in the mystery television series ''The Residence'' * Cordelia Foxx, character in '' American Horror Story: Coven'' *Cordelia "Cody" Latimer, character in the New Zealand comedy-drama series ''

Go Girls Go, GO, G.O., or Go! may refer to: Arts and entertainment Games and sport * Go (game), a board game for two players * '' Travel Go'' (formerly ''Go – The International Travel Game''), a game based on world travel * Go, the starting position ...

''. * Cordelia Winthrop Scott, from the 2011 film ''

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

'', played by Selena Gomez *Cordelia Thornberry, in ''

The Wild Thornberrys ''The Wild Thornberrys'' is an American animated series, animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, Steve Pepoon, David Silverman, and Stephen Sustarsic for Nickelodeon. The series portrays the zany hijinks of a family o ...

Literature

*In Kierkegaard's '' Either/Or'' in the section of

Diary of a Seducer ''Either/Or'' (Danish language, Danish: ''Enten – Eller'') is the first published work of Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. It appeared in two volumes in 1843 under the pseudonymous editorship of ''Victor Eremita'' (Latin for "victorious ...

*In ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...

'', Anne requests that she be called Cordelia rather than Anne *Cordelia Blake, title character of the

Winston Graham Winston Mawdsley Graham OBE, born Winston Grime (30 June 1908 – 10 July 2003), was an English novelist best known for the ''Poldark'' series of historical novels set in Cornwall, though he also wrote numerous other works, including contemp ...

novel ''Cordelia'' (1949) * Cordelia Flakk, in Jasper Fforde's '' Lost in a Good Book'' *Lady Cordelia Flyte, in ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by the English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of Charles Ryder, esp ...

'' (1945) by

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

*Cordelia Geard, in

John Cowper Powys John Cowper Powys ( ; 8 October 187217 June 1963) was an English novelist, philosopher, lecturer, critic and poet born in Shirley, Derbyshire, where his father was vicar of the parish church in 1871–1879. Powys appeared with a volume of verse ...

's novel ''

A Glastonbury Romance ''A Glastonbury Romance'' was written by John Cowper Powys (1873–1963) in rural upstate New York (state), New York and first published by Simon and Schuster in New York City in March 1932. An English edition published by John Lane (publis ...

'' (1932) *

Cordelia Gray Cordelia Gray is a fictional character created by English author P. D. James. Gray is the protagonist of two novels, '' An Unsuitable Job for a Woman'' (1972) and of '' The Skull Beneath the Skin'' (1982). Cordelia Gray is a young woman who works ...

, in two books by P.D. James *Cordelia Kenn, in Aidan Chambers' novel '' This Is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn'' (2005) * Cordelia Ransom, in the

Honorverse The Honorverse is a military science fiction book series, its two subseries, two prequel series, and anthologies created by David Weber and published by Baen Books. They are centered on the space navy career of the principal protagonist Ho ...

novels by David Weber *The main character of the short story "Cordelia the Crude" by

Wallace Thurman Wallace Henry Thurman (August 16, 1902 – December 22, 1934) was an American novelist and screenwriter active during the Harlem Renaissance. He also wrote essays, worked as an editor, and was a publisher of short-lived newspapers and literary jo ...

* Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan in the

Vorkosigan Saga The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of science fiction novels and short stories set in a common fictional universe by American author Lois McMaster Bujold.Lillian Stewart Carl and John Helfers, ''The Vorkosigan Companion'', Baen Books 2008, The firs ...

Lois McMaster Bujold Lois McMaster Bujold ( ; born November 2, 1949) is an American speculative fiction writer. She has won the Hugo Award for best novel four times, matching Robert A. Heinlein's record (not counting his Retro Hugos). Her novella '' The Mountains of ...

*Cordelia Carstairs, protagonist of ''

The Last Hours ''The Shadowhunter Chronicles'' is a media franchise based on the writings of American young adult fiction writer Cassandra Clare, which currently encompasses six series of novels, three short-story collections, five graphic novels, one film, a ...

'' series by

Cassandra Clare Judith Lewis (née Rumelt; born July 27, 1973), better known by her pen name Cassandra Clare, is an American author of young adult fiction, best known for her bestselling series ''The Mortal Instruments''. Personal life Clare was born Judith R ...

Video games

* Cordelia, a playable character in ''

Fire Emblem Awakening ''Fire Emblem Awakening'' is a 2012 tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is an installment of the ''Fire Emblem'' series, and the first to be developed for the Nintendo 3 ...

'' * Cordelia, final boss in ''Panel de Pon'' * Cordelia, youngest daughter of King Regna, in ''

Triangle Strategy is a 2022 tactical role-playing game co-developed by Square Enix and Artdink and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo released the game internationally for the Nintendo Switch. The Windows version was published by Square En ...

References

{{given name English feminine given names Feminine given names