Cordélia

The origin of this name is still today quite uncertain. The theories include: 1) From the Late Latin “cŏr / cordis,” meaning “heart, love, feeling,” which in turn derives from the Greek “kardiá (καρδιά),” same meaning. 2) From the Greek “kórē (κόρη),” meaning “girl, young woman, maiden, bride, young wife wife” plus “dêlos (δῆλος),” meaning “visible, conspicuous, manifest, to be clear or plain, limpid.” In turn, the name means “pure girl.” The name was borne by the tragic heroine of Shakespeare’s King Lear (1606), a character based on the legendary queen Cordeilla. Queen Cordelia was a legendary queen of the Britons, as recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. She was the youngest daughter of Leir and the second ruling queen of pre-Roman Britain. There is no independent historical evidence for her existence.