Eleanor
Girl nameEleanor has been given to 337,323 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1920 and currently ranks #12 for girls (2025).
Meaning & origin /ˈɛləˌnoɹ/
The first known bearer was Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204), Provençal Aliénor, perhaps from Latin alia (“other”) and her mother's name Aenor, its meaning thereby said to be “the other Aenor”. This Aenor seems to come from earlier Adenordis, which might be some corruption of Adamardis, feminine form of Ademar or Adamarus, from Proto-West Germanic *Audamār, from the Proto-Germanic elements *audaz (“riches”) + *mēraz (“fame”). An Arabic origin from نُور (nūr, “light”) has also been suggested. Eleanor has often been erroneously interpreted as a variant of Helen. More at
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
337,323
Peak year
1920 (8,507 babies)
Rank in 2025
#12 for girls
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▲ +72%
Gender split
100% girls / 0% boys
Famous people named Eleanor
Margaret Atwood
Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, pépiniériste and inventor (born 193
Rosalynn Carter
First Lady of the United States from 1977 to 1981
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Queen consort of France; Queen consort of England; suo jure Duchess of Aquitaine; patroness
Nora Roberts
American romance writer
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Eleanor.
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