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.

Eleanor Rank in US Top 1000

# 14 in the US

Eleanor Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 14 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Eleanor

• 14 US 2024
• 14 Nameberry 2025
• 36 Canada 2023
• 6 Future 2035
• 58 England 2023
• 116 Scotland 2024
• 36 Australia 2024
• 55 New Zealand 2024
• 404 Germany 2016

20 Names Similar to Eleanor

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Eleanor.

• Clara
• Eloise
• Alice
• Nora
• Evelyn
• Eliza
• Cora
• Charlotte
• Lucy
• Amelia
• Penelope
• Adelaide
• Audrey
• Josephine
• Violet
• Matilda
• Jane
• Henry
• Ada
• Mae

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

The name 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

International Variations of the name Eleanor

• Eileanóra Irish
• Élénora French
• Elinor French
• Eleanore French
• Elinore French
• Eilonóra Gaelic
• Ealanor Gaelic
• Eléonore French
• Eleonore German
• Eleonora Italian
• Eleonora Swedish
• Ellinor Scandinavian
• Leonor Portuguese