Head to head · Girls' names
Azariah vs Cassandra
#630 vs #630 in 2025
Azariah and Cassandra share the same spot on the 2025 charts (#630). The records cannot split them; sound and story will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Cassandra leads 3 measures of 6; Azariah leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1900s: Azariah —, Cassandra #1872 — Cassandra higher
- 1910s: Azariah —, Cassandra #3154 — Cassandra higher
- 1920s: Azariah —, Cassandra #3842 — Cassandra higher
- 1930s: Azariah —, Cassandra #2252 — Cassandra higher
- 1940s: Azariah —, Cassandra #569 — Cassandra higher
- 1950s: Azariah —, Cassandra #309 — Cassandra higher
- 1960s: Azariah —, Cassandra #201 — Cassandra higher
- 1970s: Azariah —, Cassandra #154 — Cassandra higher
- 1980s: Azariah —, Cassandra #74 — Cassandra higher
- 1990s: Azariah #7135, Cassandra #71 — Cassandra higher
- 2000s: Azariah #1505, Cassandra #194 — Cassandra higher
- 2010s: Azariah #915, Cassandra #510 — Cassandra higher
- 2020s: Azariah #679, Cassandra #632 — Cassandra higher
Cassandra stood higher in every recorded decade — 13 of 13.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Azariah | Cassandra |
|---|---|---|
| 1900s | — | #1872 |
| 1910s | — | #3154 |
| 1920s | — | #3842 |
| 1930s | — | #2252 |
| 1940s | — | #569 |
| 1950s | — | #309 |
| 1960s | — | #201 |
| 1970s | — | #154 |
| 1980s | — | #74 |
| 1990s | #7135 | #71 |
| 2000s | #1505 | #194 |
| 2010s | #915 | #510 |
| 2020s | #679 | #632 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Azariah
Yahweh has helped
From Hebrew ʿazar, "to help," joined to the divine name Yah. The same root sits inside Ezra and Azriel.
ʿĂzaryāh (Hebrew) → Azarias (Greek) → Azarias (Latin) → Azariah (English)
How it traveled
The name comes from Hebrew ʿĂzaryāh and appears repeatedly in the Hebrew Bible, carried by kings, priests and scribes — among them the young man in the book of Daniel renamed Abednego in Babylon. Greek translators wrote it Azarias, Latin kept that form, and English Bible translators restored the Hebrew ending as -iah, which is the spelling used today.
Cassandra
second part means "man, men"; the first part is unresolved
The ending goes back to Greek anēr / andros, "man" — the same element in Alexandra. The first element is where scholars part ways: readings include a link to kekasmai, "to excel, to shine," giving something like "shining upon men," and a connection to a verb of entangling or ensnaring, giving "she who entangles men." Neither has won the argument.
Kassandra → Cassandra (Latin) → Cassandre (Old French) → Cassandra (Middle English)
How it traveled
The name is Greek, Kassandra, and belongs first to the daughter of Priam and Hecuba, named among the Trojans in the Iliad and given her prophetic gift and her curse in later tellings — she foresaw truly and was never believed. Latin writers carried the spelling Cassandra westward, and by the twelfth century it was a real English name, borne by ordinary women and worn down in speech to Cass and Cassie, much as it still is.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Azariah
az-uh-RYE-uh
That is the standard English reading, stress on the third syllable. In Hebrew and in most other languages it is closer to ah-zar-YAH, so relatives abroad may say it differently.
- Ari — The most portable short form, and a standalone given name in its own right.
- Zay — Informal, shared with Zaid and Zayden; common among children now.
- Az — Very informal, mostly used by friends and siblings.
- Zaria — Used more often for girls; also exists as a full given name.
- Also Ria.
Cassandra
kuh-SAN-druh
Stress on the second syllable. Some speakers broaden it to kuh-SAHN-druh; both are heard in English and neither needs correcting.
- Cassie — The most widespread informal form, and long established as an independent given name in its own right.
- Cass — Shorter and blunter; used informally and also stands alone for some bearers.
- Sandra — Drawn from the back half of the name rather than the front; a full given name of its own, so it reads as more formal than Cassie.
- Sandy — An older informal option, more common among generations already grown.
- Also Kass, Andi.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Azariah if you want…
- a name on the way upup 225 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itAzariah runs 4 syllables, Cassandra 3
Choose Cassandra if you want…
- a name holding steadyCassandra is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesCassandra is 3 syllables to Azariah's 4
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Azariah
Strengths
- The spelling is the one used in English Bibles, so it is findable and defensible even where the name itself is unfamiliar.
- Its meaning is settled rather than guessed at, which is not true of every ancient name.
- Several ready-made short forms — Ari, Zay, Az — all in real use.
To consider
- Expect to spell it out. Azaria, Azariya and Azariyah all circulate, and the final -h is the piece people drop.
- Two pronunciations compete: az-uh-RYE-uh in English, ah-zar-YAH closer to the Hebrew. Pick one early and say it first when you introduce the child.
- It is given to both boys and girls, but the boys' side is considerably larger. A girl named Azariah will meet forms and teachers that assume otherwise, which is manageable but worth expecting.
Cassandra
Strengths
- Several short forms already in circulation — Cassie, Cass, Sandra — so the name adapts without anyone having to invent anything.
- The spelling is the standard one in English and most people can write it after hearing it once.
- An unbroken record from Homeric Greek through medieval England to the present, which is rare for a name this recognizable.
To consider
- "A Cassandra" is also an English common noun for someone whose warnings go unheeded, and "Cassandra complex" is a set phrase. Most people meet the name before the noun, but the association is genuinely there.
- Kassandra and Casandra are both in use, so expect an occasional spelling check — the C-and-double-s version is the one most readers default to.
- The name is well represented among adults now in their middle years and thinner among children, so it may read as a generational name to some ears and as an unusual one to others.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Azariah and Cassandra in full.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Azariah and Cassandra — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Azariah or Cassandra — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Azariah or Cassandra?
- They tie in 2025: Azariah ranked #630 with 463 babies; Cassandra ranked #630 with 463 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Azariah or Cassandra?
- Azariah. Over the last five years Azariah moved up 225 places; Cassandra moved up 25 places.
- Which is the older name, Azariah or Cassandra?
- Azariah entered the US charts in 1991; Cassandra entered the US charts in 1902. On the American record, Cassandra is the older name.
- How many people are named Azariah and Cassandra?
- About 7,300 people named Azariah are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 164,000 people named Cassandra are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Azariahs or Cassandras in the classroom?
- Azariah will almost certainly be the only one in school. Cassandra will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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