Eleanor

Meaning: The other Aenor
Origin: Old Provencal/Latin — From Latin alia; the earlier root has the sense riches and fame · Earlier roots in Germanic; an Arabic light interpretation has also been suggested

Nicknames: Ella, Nellie, Nora, Nell, Ellie

Girl's name · #12 in the US (2025) · Comeback

Popularity over time

Eleanor was #25 in 1920, slipped to #693, and reached #12 in 2025 — its highest ever. Hardly any name in the record has managed that round trip.

Across the states

See where Eleanor is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Eleanor ranks in other countries and regions.

#31 in Australia (NSW) (2025) · #32 in Australia (QLD) (2025) · #48 in Australia (VIC) (2025) · #54 in New Zealand (2025) · #56 in England & Wales (2025) · #107 in Ireland (2025) · #117 in Scotland (2025) · #156 in N. Ireland (2025) · #268 in Switzerland (2025) · #330 in Netherlands (2025) · #365 in Belgium (2025) · #386 in Sweden (2025) and 4 more.

Famous Eleanors

Eleanor Roosevelt — American diplomat and activist, First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945 (1884–1962)
Eleanor of Aquitaine — Queen consort of France; Queen consort of England; suo jure Duchess of Aquitaine; patroness
Eleanor Parker — American actress (1922–2013)
Eleanor of Castile — Infanta of Castile and queen consort of England
Eleanor of Provence — Queen of England (1223–1291)

In stories & tradition

Eleanor Bartlet — The West Wing (TV series)
Eleanor Miller^it — The Chipettes (musical)

What Eleanors become

Among 840 notable people named Eleanor:

Artists & writers appear 1.67× more often than among typical names — e.g. Eleanor H. Porter, American novelist (1868–1920).

Spellings & nicknames

About 6,200 girls a year are given Nora as their full name, 6,100 Ella, 6,000 Ellie, 500 Nellie, and 120 Nell.

Similar names: Ellie · Nora · Eloise · Violet · Evelyn · Aurora

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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