The Baby Name Wizard

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Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Eleanor!

Comments and insights on the name Eleanor: | Edit

The nn "Ella" is very popular in its own right. Could be a real winner.

Personal experiences with the name Eleanor: | Edit

My grandmother's name was Eleanor. I always associated it with sounding old and boring but now I think it's beautiful. I'd consider naming my daughter Eleanor and calling her Lena. I have a friend named Lenore which I also think sounds pretty. I named my first dog after my grandma and called her Nellie too.

We named our daughter Eleanor. I originally got the name from Lord of the Rings (see Elanor), and thought it was very pretty, plus there are lots of literary and historic figures of that name 9though in many variations). Lots of people comment on the name because it is uncommon without being trendy. I thought we had picked the most common spelling, but sometimes people still spell it differently, but it's not a big deal. I love it.

Nicknames for Eleanor: | Edit

Ellie, Elle, Ella, Nell, Nellie, Belle, Nora, Nori, Lana, Lena, Lea, Lennie, Elora

Meanings and history of the name Eleanor: | Edit

An alternate theory for Eleanor's origin and meaning appears on the wikipedia article for Eleanor's first notable bearer, Eleanor of Aquitaine:

"Eleanor or Aliénor was the oldest of three children of William X, Duke of Aquitaine, and his duchess Aenor de Châtellerault. ... Eleanor was named for her mother Aenor and called Aliénor, from the Latin alia Aenor, which means the other Aenor. It became Eléanor in the langues d'oïl and Eleanor in English."

Aenor is a Provençal name of unknown meaning, but someone on behindthename postulated that it comes from lenire, "to heal", and adoucir, "to soften."

Famous real-life people named Eleanor: | Edit

Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204), mother of two kings of England and one of the most powerful women of the Middle Ages
Eleanor of Austria (1498-1558), daughter of Juana of Castile and Philip the Fair, later Queen of Portugal and Queen of France
Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of U. S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt
Eleanor Smith, American aviatrix
Eleanor Mondale, daughter of former Vice President Walter Mondale
Eleanor Beardsley, French correspondent for NPR

Eleanor in song, story & screen: | Edit

"Eleanor", song by the Low Millions
"Elenore", song by the Turtles.
"Eleanor Rigby", a song by the Beatles
Elinor Dashwood, a character in Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Jody Foster and child actor were named Ellie in movie, Contact
"Eleanor," song by Jet
Eleanor "Ellie" Nash, a character on the TV show Degrassi
Eleanor Branstone, a Hufflepuff student in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Eleanor Waldorf-Rose, recurring character (and mother of lead, Blair) on "Gossip Girl".
Lady Eleanor and her daughter "Ella" (full name also Eleanor), characters in the book Ella Enchanted