Eleanor

Girl · Occitan

Eleanor

Say it: EL-uh-nor

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From Occitan Aliénor, of uncertain origin; it is often explained as alia Aenor 'the other Aenor', but this is not proven.

Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.

Brought to England by Eleanor of Aquitaine in the 12th century and kept in use by later queens.

Its wave through time

A revival, back after decades away

In the United States

301,600 babies given this name since 1880
At its height in 1915, about 1 in 140 girls
6,335 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

English French Spanish

The family of the name

Other spellings: Elianor, Alianore, Elinor, Eleanora

French	Aliénor
Spanish	Leonor
Italian	Eleonora
Portuguese	Leonor

Famous bearers

Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of France and England
Eleanor of Castile, queen of Edward I

Names worth a look

AudreyGirlA medieval English short form of Old English Æthelthryth, from æthel 'noble' and thryth 'strength'.Middle Ages · peak 1928

ClaraGirlLatin clara 'clear, bright, famous'.Middle Ages · peak 1890

EllaGirlUncertain. It was used by the Normans as a Germanic name (perhaps from ali 'other' or alja), and later also as a…Middle Ages · peak 1887

PaulaGirlLatin, feminine of Paulus 'small'.Rome · peak 1963

AnneGirlFrom Hebrew Hannah 'grace, favour'.Middle Ages · peak 1911

EllenGirlThe English vernacular form of Helen, from Greek Helenē, of uncertain meaning.Middle Ages · peak 1884

ElaineGirlOld French form associated with Helen; the Arthurian Elaine of Astolat.Victorian · peak 1945

EileenGirlAn anglicized form of Irish Eibhlín, a Gaelic form of the Norman name Aveline, whose own origin is uncertain…Victorian · peak 1943

Where this comes from

Royal and noble genealogies
Medieval European charters and records
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.