Girl nameCurrently #14 in the USRising
Eleanor
EL-uh-nor//ˈɛlənɔːr//
3 syllablesPeak year: 19207 lettersStarts with E
Meaning & origin
Shining light, or foreign
Eleanor entered English via the French Alienor, made famous by the formidable 12th-century queen Eleanor of Aquitaine; its deeper roots may lie in a Germanic or Occitan word associated with 'other' or 'foreign'. A steady royal and literary favorite for centuries, it has enjoyed a strong modern revival for its warm, vintage sound.
Eleanor's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Eleanor |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 129 |
| 1881 | 110 |
| 1882 | 174 |
| 1883 | 185 |
| 1884 | 198 |
| 1885 | 222 |
| 1886 | 271 |
| 1887 | 247 |
| 1888 | 288 |
| 1889 | 312 |
| 1890 | 351 |
| 1891 | 376 |
| 1892 | 389 |
| 1893 | 397 |
| 1894 | 450 |
| 1895 | 544 |
| 1896 | 493 |
| 1897 | 559 |
| 1898 | 620 |
| 1899 | 575 |
| 1900 | 753 |
| 1901 | 686 |
| 1902 | 837 |
| 1903 | 840 |
| 1904 | 868 |
| 1905 | 1,041 |
| 1906 | 1,093 |
| 1907 | 1,155 |
| 1908 | 1,311 |
| 1909 | 1,460 |
| 1910 | 1,803 |
| 1911 | 2,041 |
| 1912 | 3,126 |
| 1913 | 3,945 |
| 1914 | 5,386 |
| 1915 | 7,051 |
| 1916 | 7,416 |
| 1917 | 7,682 |
| 1918 | 8,187 |
| 1919 | 7,621 |
| 1920 | 8,507 |
| 1921 | 8,068 |
| 1922 | 7,874 |
| 1923 | 7,788 |
| 1924 | 8,217 |
| 1925 | 7,743 |
| 1926 | 7,324 |
| 1927 | 6,994 |
| 1928 | 6,564 |
| 1929 | 5,885 |
| 1930 | 5,849 |
| 1931 | 5,285 |
| 1932 | 4,851 |
| 1933 | 5,118 |
| 1934 | 4,731 |
| 1935 | 4,187 |
| 1936 | 4,363 |
| 1937 | 4,291 |
| 1938 | 4,070 |
| 1939 | 3,827 |
| 1940 | 3,606 |
| 1941 | 3,267 |
| 1942 | 3,176 |
| 1943 | 2,738 |
| 1944 | 2,201 |
| 1945 | 1,876 |
| 1946 | 1,939 |
| 1947 | 1,853 |
| 1948 | 1,664 |
| 1949 | 1,517 |
| 1950 | 1,371 |
| 1951 | 1,296 |
| 1952 | 1,249 |
| 1953 | 1,261 |
| 1954 | 1,117 |
| 1955 | 1,043 |
| 1956 | 1,044 |
| 1957 | 962 |
| 1958 | 864 |
| 1959 | 865 |
| 1960 | 826 |
| 1961 | 748 |
| 1962 | 763 |
| 1963 | 667 |
| 1964 | 648 |
| 1965 | 603 |
| 1966 | 473 |
| 1967 | 443 |
| 1968 | 408 |
| 1969 | 360 |
| 1970 | 366 |
| 1971 | 325 |
| 1972 | 300 |
| 1973 | 266 |
| 1974 | 228 |
| 1975 | 234 |
| 1976 | 257 |
| 1977 | 228 |
| 1978 | 269 |
| 1979 | 276 |
| 1980 | 258 |
| 1981 | 270 |
| 1982 | 265 |
| 1983 | 263 |
| 1984 | 244 |
| 1985 | 270 |
| 1986 | 263 |
| 1987 | 290 |
| 1988 | 309 |
| 1989 | 364 |
| 1990 | 378 |
| 1991 | 394 |
| 1992 | 395 |
| 1993 | 445 |
| 1994 | 390 |
| 1995 | 437 |
| 1996 | 487 |
| 1997 | 537 |
| 1998 | 720 |
| 1999 | 688 |
| 2000 | 771 |
| 2001 | 826 |
| 2002 | 961 |
| 2003 | 1,007 |
| 2004 | 1,063 |
| 2005 | 1,237 |
| 2006 | 1,221 |
| 2007 | 1,272 |
| 2008 | 1,343 |
| 2009 | 1,491 |
| 2010 | 1,851 |
| 2011 | 2,084 |
| 2012 | 2,383 |
| 2013 | 3,013 |
| 2014 | 3,740 |
| 2015 | 4,439 |
| 2016 | 5,139 |
| 2017 | 5,549 |
| 2018 | 5,732 |
| 2019 | 6,205 |
| 2020 | 6,378 |
| 2021 | 7,102 |
| 2022 | 6,931 |
| 2023 | 6,763 |
| 2024 | 7,137 |
Eleanor through the decades
- Eleanor peaked in 1920, when 8,507 babies were named Eleanor in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Eleanor has risen 213% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Eleanor currently ranks #14 in the US and is on the rise.
Nicknames
NellEllieNora
Variants & spellings
ElinorLeonorEleanora
Famous people named Eleanor
- Eleanor Roosevelt — first lady and activist