Eleanor of Aquitaine rode on the Second Crusade, ruled two kingdoms, and outlived most of her children — a twelfth-century life that still casts long shadows over the name. The etymology is Old French, probably "bright, shining one," filtered through Provençal courts. Eleanor Roosevelt gave the name its twentieth-century conscience; the Beatles gave it a lonely spinster in a song. After decades of quiet, it surged back into the American top twenty in the 2010s. Three syllables with a formal gait, a name that arrives wearing pearls but is willing to roll up its sleeves. Regal and a little melancholic. The kind of name people grow into, gladly.
Popularity
1880 to today
US SSA data. Lower rank number means more popular. A flat line at the top of the chart means the name did not rank in the top 1000.
Nicknames
- Ellie
- Nora
- Nell
Middle name ideas
All middle names for EleanorFamous people
- Eleanor Roosevelt — American diplomat and activist, First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945 (1884–1962)
- Margaret Atwood — Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, pépiniériste and inventor (born 1939)
- 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
- Mary Higgins Clark — American author of suspense novels (1927–2020)
In fiction
No fictional associations tracked.
Sibling name ideas
- Amelia
- Charlotte
- Olivia
- Sebastian
- Evelyn
Similar energy
- Amelia
- Charlotte
- Olivia
- Evelyn
- Nora
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Names like Eleanor
Amelia
SteadyEnglish · girl
From Germanic amal, 'work' — industrious.
Charlotte
SteadyEnglish · girl
French feminine of Charles; 'free woman' or 'petite'.
Olivia
SteadyEnglish · girl
From the Latin oliva, 'olive tree' — a symbol of peace.
Evelyn
SteadyEnglish · girl
From an old Norman name Aveline; 'wished-for child'.
Nora
SteadyItalian · girl
Short for Honora, Eleanor, or Norah; 'honor' or 'light'.