Eleanor

eh-len-NOR; EH-len-uh
English variation of French Provencal Alienor, meaning unknown

Eleanor Origin and Meaning

The name Eleanor is a girl's name of English origin.

Eleanor's straightforward feminine image combined with its royal medieval history is striking just the right note for parents in search of a girls' name that combines substance and style.

Big plus: Eleanor is a serious name, with two nicknames—Ellie and Nell/Nellie—that are seriously endearing. Nell is more distinctive, but Ellie is undeniably one of today's top cute girl names.

While some think Eleanor is a variation of Helen via Ellen, it actually derives from the Provencal name Aliénor, of highly-debated meaning. It may come from the Germanic name Adenorde, meaning "ancient north" or "noble north". Another theory is that it derives from the Latin phrase alia Aenor, meaning "other Aenor," used to distinguish some original Eleanor, who was named after her mother Aenor. Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine brought it from France to England in the twelfth century. Other spellings include Elinor and Eleanore.

Diane Lane has an Eleanor, and Katie Couric has an Elinor, using the variant spelling. (Jane Austen used both versions—Eleanor in Northanger Abbey and Elinor in Sense and Sensibility.)

A notable namesake is First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Two other English queens bore the name: the wives of Henry III and Edward I. Eleanor Shellstrop was the protagonist of television show The Good Place.

Eleanora and Leonora are pretty, more feminine variations. Ellen and Lenore are shorter forms.

# 14 in the US

Eleanor Rank in US Top 1000

# 13 on Nameberry

Eleanor Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Eleanor Popularity

Famous People Named Eleanor

  • (Anna) Eleanor Roosevelt
    former First Lady of the US as wife of Franklin Roosevelt
  • Eleanor of Aquitaine
    Queen consort of Louis VII of France, then Henry II of England
  • Eleanor of Castile
    Queen consort of Edward I of England
  • Eleanor of Provence
    Queen consort of Henry III of England
  • Eleanor of England
    Queen consort of Alfonso VIII of Castile; daughter of Henry II
  • Eleanor of Castile
    Queen consort of James I of Aragon
  • Eleanor of Castile
    Queen consort of Alfonso IV of Aragon
  • Eleanor of Castile
    Queen consort of Charles III of Navarre
  • Eleanor of Sicily
    Queen consort of Peter IV of Aragon
  • Eleanor of Viseu
    Queen consort of John II of Portugal
  • Eleanor of Austria
    Queen consort of Manuel I of Portugal, then Francis I of France
  • Eleanor Jean Parker
    American actress
  • Eleanor Marie Robertson
    birth name of Nora Roberts, American novelist
  • Ella Augusta "Eleanor" Norcross
    American painter
  • Eleanor Louise "Ellie" Greenwich
    American songwriter
  • Eleanor Suzanne "Ellie" Daniel
    American Olympic swimmer
  • Eleanor Emily Hodgman Porter
    American novelist
  • Eleanor Holmes Norton
    U.S. Congressional delegate from D.C.
  • Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson
    American author
  • Eleanor Nancy Gow
    birth name of Elle Macpherson, Australian supermodel
  • Eleanor K. Baum
    American pioneering electrical engineer
  • Eleanor "Elle" Logan
    American Olympic rower
  • Eleanor Audley
    American actress
  • Eleanor May Tomlinson
    English actress
  • Eleanor Jessie Coppola
    American film director
  • Eleanor Key Francis "Glo" Helin
    American astronomer
  • Eleanor Winifred Worthington
    Cox, English actress
  • Eleanor Randolph Wilson McAdoo
    daughter of US President Woodrow Wilson
  • (Jenny Julia) Eleanor Marx
    daughter of philosopher Karl Marx
  • Eleanor Stills
    daughter of musician Stephen Stills
  • Eleanor Rose "Ella" Edmondson
    English singer; daughter of actress Jennifer Saunders and Adrian Edmondson
  • Eleanor Patricia Columbus (b. 1989)
    daughter of director Chris Columbus
  • Eleanor Jasmine Lambert (b. 1993)
    daughter of actors Christopher Lambert and Diane Lane
  • Eleanor Grace Dennis (b. 2008)
    daughter of actor and TV presenter Les Dennis
  • Eleanor "Ellie" Kennedy (b. 2015)
    daughter of politician Joseph P. Kennedy III
  • Eleanor Talitha Bailey
    daughter of Devon Aoki and James Bailey
  • Eleanor Jane Calder
    English model and fashion blogger who's best known for dating Louis Tomlinson

Eleanor in Pop Culture

  • "Eleanor" has connections to multiple characters in William Shakespeare's plays
    notably in Henry VI, King John, etc.
  • "Eleanor Rigby
    " song by The Beatles
  • "Eleanor Put Your Boots On
    " song by Franz Ferdinand
  • Eleanor Waldorf
    character on "Gossip Girl"
  • Eleanor Henstridge
    character on TV's "The Royals"
  • Eleanor Shellstrop
    character on TV's "The Good Place"
  • Eleanor "Ellie" Bishop
    character on TV's "NCIS"
  • Eleanor "Elle" Bishop
    character on TV's "Heroes"
  • Eleanor "Nell" Potter
    character on TV's "Smallville"
  • Eleanor "Nell" Crain/Vance
    character in "The Haunting of Hill House"
  • Eleanor Arroway
    character in Carl Sagan's "Contact"
  • Eleanor "Ellie" Nash
    character on TV's "Degrassi: The Next Generation"
  • Eleanor "Norrie" Calvert
    Hill, character on TV's "Under the Dome"
  • Eleanor
    character in video game "Rule of Rose"
  • Eleanor Lamb
    character in video game "Bioshock 2"
  • Eleanor Douglas
    character in "Eleanor and Park" by Rainbow Rowell
  • Eleanor Oliphant
    protagonist of book "Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine" by Gail Honeyman