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Also known as Eleanor (given name), Eleanor (first name)
Eleanor is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name Aliénor. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introduced to England by Eleanor of Aquitaine, who came to marry King Henry II. It was also borne by Eleanor of Provence, who became queen consort of England as the wife of King Henry III, and Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I.
Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name Aliénor. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introduced to England by Eleanor of Aquitaine, who came to marry King Henry II. It was also borne by Eleanor of Provence, who became queen consort of England as the wife of King Henry III, and Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I.
The name was popular in the Anglosphere during the first half of the 20th century, but declined in use until the late 20th century and first decades of the 21st century. It has been a well-used name in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand during the 2020s. Eleanor was the third most popular name for newborn girls born to white mothers in the U.S. state of Virginia in 2024, but was a less popular name for girls born to mothers from other groups. Eleanor was the ninth most popular name overall for newborn girls in Virginia in 2024.
Eleanor Roosevelt, the longest-serving first lady of the U.S., was probably the most famous bearer of the name in contemporary history.
Spelling variants include Elanor, Eleonore, Elinor, Ellenor and others. A common variant is Eleonora/Eleanora. Common hypocorisms include Eleana, Elle, Ella, Ellie, Elly, Leonor, Leonora, Leonore, Nell, Nella, Nellie, Nelly, and Nora.
Contents
Origin
The name derives from the Provençal name Aliénor, which became Éléonore in Langue d'oïl, i.e., French, and from there Eleanor in English.
The origin of the name is somewhat unclear; one of the earliest bearers appears to have been Eleanor of Aquitaine (1120s–1204). She was the daughter of Aénor de Châtellerault, and it has been suggested that having been baptized Aenor after her mother, she was called alia Aenor, i.e. "the other Aenor" or Aliénor in childhood and would have kept that name in adult life. Some sources say that the name Aénor itself may be a Latinization of an unknown Germanic name.
Eleanor of Aquitaine, the most powerful woman in 12th century Europe, was certainly the reason for the name's later popularity. However, the name's origin with her, and the explanation of alia Aenor is uncertain; there are records of possible bearers of the name Alienor earlier in the 12th, or even in the 11th or 10th centuries, but the records of these women post-date Eleanor of Aquitaine, at a time when Alienor had come to be seen as an equivalent variant of the name Aenor (so that presumably, these women during their own lifetime used the given name Aenor):
Alienor, wife (b. 899) (married 935) of Aimery II, Viscount of Thouars, and mother of Herbert I (born 960).
Aleanor de Thouars (1050–1088/93), grandmother of Aénor of Châtellerault, and thus Eleanor of Aquitaine's great-grandmother. Born c. 1060 as a daughter of Aimery IV of Thouars and Aurengarde de Mauleon. Her name is also cited in some documents as Adenor, Aenors and Aleanor/Alienor, and may have been corrupted to Alienor in genealogies only after the 12th century.
Eleanor of Normandy, aunt of William the Conqueror, was so named by the 17th-century genealogist Pierre de Guibours, but de Guibours' sources for this remain unknown.
Eleanor of Champagne (1102–1147), in 1125 became the first wife of Ralph I, Count of Vermandois, who was displaced by Eleanor of Aquitaine's sister Petronilla of Aquitaine, leading to war (1142–44) in Champagne.
Eleonore Büning (born 1952), German music journalist and writer
Eleonore Caburet (born 2004), French rhythmic gymnast
Eleonore Carboniers, Dutch poet
Éléonore Caroit (born 1985), French politician
Eleonore Cellard, French scholar
Eleonore Dailly, American filmmaker
Eleonore de Ahna (1838–1865), German operatic soprano/mezzo-soprano
Éléonore Tenaille de Vaulabelle (1801–1859), French writer and playwright
Éléonore-Aglaé-Marie Despierres (1843–1895), French historian
People with the given name Elinor
Elinor Proby Adams (1885–1945), British oil painter, book illustrator and mural painter
Elinor W. Ames, Canadian psychologist
Elinor Armer (born 1939), American pianist, music educator and composer
Elinor Barker (born 1994), Welsh road and track racing cyclist
Elinor Bellingham-Smith (1906–1988), British painter of landscapes and still life
Elinor Bennett (born 1943), Welsh harpist
Elinor Langton-Boyle, Hawaiian businesswoman and journalist
Elinor Brent-Dyer (1894–1969), English writer of children's literature
Elinor Burkett (born 1946), American journalist, author, film producer, and documentary director
Elinor Burns (1887–1978), British communist, co-operative activist and suffragist
Elinor Busby (born 1924), American science fiction writer and fanzine editor
Elinor Byrns (c. 1876–1957), American lawyer
Elinor Cahn (1925–2020), American photographer
Elinor Caplan (born 1944), Canadian politician
Elinor Carbone (born 1957), American politician
People with the given name Elinore
Elinore Blaisdell (1900–1994), American illustrator
Elinore Denniston (1900–1978), American writer of more than 40 mystery novels under the pseudonym Rae Foley
Elinore Johansson (born 1996), Swedish handball player
Elinore Pruitt Stewart (1876–1933), American homesteader in Wyoming and memoirist
Elinore Schöpp, former German curler
People with the given name Elleanor
Elleanor Eldridge (c.1784-c.1845), African American/Native American entrepreneur
People with the given name Eleonora
Eleonora Ernestina von Daun, Marquise of Pombal (1721–1789), second wife of Portuguese statesman Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal
Eleonora Abbagnato (born 1978), Italian ballet dancer, model, and actress
Eleonora Aguiari (born 1973), Italian installation artist and author
Eleonora Alverà (born 1982), Italian curler
Eleonora Alvisi (born 2003), Italian tennis player
Eleonora Archaia (born 1967), Georgian politician
Eleonora Armitage (1865–1961), British botanist and writer
Eleonora Bargili, Italian pastellist active during the eighteenth century
Eleonora Bechis (born 1974), Italian politician
Eleonora Bentivoglio (1470–1540), Italian ruler, Lady of Sassuolo by marriage to Giberto III Pio di Savoia
Eleonora Bergman (born 1947), Polish architectural historian who has worked on the preservation of Jewish heritage in Poland
Eleonora Berlanda (born 1976), former Italian female middle-distance runner
Eleonora Bilotta, Italian researcher into complex systems and human–computer interaction
Eleonora Brigliadori (born 1960), Italian model, actress and television personality
People with the given name Ellinor
Ellinor Davenport Adams, British journalist and writer
Ellinor Aiki (1893–1969), Estonian painter
Mary Ellinor Lucy Archer MBE (1893–1979), Australian scientist and librarian
Ellinor Eriksson (born 1988), Swedish Social Democratic politician
Ellinor Flor (born 1946), Norwegian textile artist
Ellinor Franzén (born 1978), Swedish singer
Ellinor Hinks (1912–2004), Principal of Nonington College of Physical Education in Kent, UK
Ellinor Huusko (born 1996), Swedish professional racing cyclist
Ellinor Jåma (born 1979), Norwegian Sami politician in the Sami Parliament of Norway
Ellinor Ljungros (born 1953), former female long-distance runner from Sweden
Ellinor Olovsdotter (born 1985), known as Elliphant, Swedish singer, rapper and songwriter
Ellinor Peerschke (1954–2023), American scientist
Ellinor Catherine Cunningham van Someren OBE (1915–1998), Ugandan-born British medical entomologist
Ellinor Südow (born 1998), Swedish professional golfer
Ellinor Vanderveer (1886–1976), American actress
People with the given name Ellinore
Ellinore Lightbody (born 1959), British tennis coach and former professional player
Fictional characters
Eleanor Rigby, main character in the Beatles song of the same name
Eleanor, a car in the 1974 film Gone in 60 Seconds, and another in the 2000 remake
Elenore Baker, supporting character in the anime Madlax
Ellie Bishop, in the television series NCIS
Eleanor Butterbean, in the television series The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
Elinor Dashwood, in the 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Eleanor Miller, one of the members of the female chipmunk music artist band The Chipettes
Ellie Nash, in Degrassi: The Next Generation
Eleanor Shellstrop, the protagonist of American fantasy sitcom The Good Place
Eleanor "Miss Ellie" Southworth Ewing Farlow, the matriarch of the Ewing family in the CBS soap opera Dallas
Eleanor of Tristain, in the novels and anime The Familiar of Zero
Eleanor Waldorf, mother of a protagonist, Blair Waldorf, in TV series Gossip Girl
Ellie Woodcomb, in the television series Chuck
Ellie William, in the Naughty Dog/Sony Interactive video game The Last of Us
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Eleanor of Champagne (1102–1147), wife of Ralph I, Count of Vermandois
Eleanor of England, Countess of Leicester (1215–1275), daughter of King John of England, wife of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar (1269–1298), daughter of Edward I, betrothed to Alfonso III of Aragon, and wife of Henry III of Bar
Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile (1161–1214), daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine; wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile
Eleanor of Lancaster (1318–1372), Lady Beaumont and Countess of Arundel
Eleanor of Naples (1450–1493), wife of Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara
Eleanor of Navarre (1426–1479), wife of Gaston IV, Count of Foix
Eleanor of Normandy (b. 1011/1013, d. after 1071), daughter of Richard II of Normandy
Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress (1434–1467), wife of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Eleanor of Portugal, Queen of Denmark (1211–1231), Portuguese infanta and wife of Valdemar the Young
Eleanor of Provence (1222–1291), wife of Henry III of England, mother of Edward I
Eleanor of Scotland (1433–1480), wife of Sigismund, Archduke of Austria
Eleanor of Sicily (1349–1375), wife of Peter IV of Aragon
Eleanor of Toledo (1522–1562), Spanish noblewoman and Duchess and Regent of Florence (1539)
Eleanor of Viseu (1458–1525), wife of John II of Portugal
Eleanor of Woodstock (1318–1355), daughter of Edward II, wife of Reynold II, Count of Gelderland
Eleanor Butler, Countess of Desmond (c. 1545 – 1636), wife of Gerald FitzGerald
Eleanor Clifford, Countess of Cumberland (1519–1547), wife of Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland
Eleanor de Bohun (1366–1399), Duchess of Gloucester, Duchess of Aumale, Countess of Buckingham and Countess of Essex
Eleanor de Bohun (1304– 1363), Countess of Ormonde
Eleanor de Clare (1292–1337), granddaughter of Edward I of England and wife of Hugh Despenser the Younger
Eleanor de Guzmán (1310–1351), Castilian noblewoman and mistress of Alfonso XI of Castile
Eleanor de' Medici (1567–1611), Duchess of Mantua by marriage to Vincenzo I Gonzaga
Eleanor de Montfort (1252–1282), Princess of Wales and Lady of Snowdon, wife of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
Eleanor, Countess of Vermandois (c. 1149–1213)
Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester (1400–1452), mistress and then second wife of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, sentenced to life imprisonment for treasonable necromancy
Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany (1184–1241), daughter of Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany
Eleanor FitzAlan (c. 1284 – July/August 1328), wife of Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy
Eleanor Holland, Countess of Salisbury (1386 – after 1413), wife of Thomas Montagu, 4th Earl of Salisbury
John/Eleanor Rykener, a 14th-century (possibly transgender) prostitute
Eleanor Hallowell Abbott (1872–1958), American author
Eleanor Abrams (1885–1967), American painter
Eleanor D. Acheson, American lawyer
Eleanor Acland (1878–1933), British Liberal Party politician
Eleanor R. Adair (1926–2013), American scientist
Eleanor Adviento (born 1995), New Zealand curler
Eleanor E. Ahlers (1911–1997), American teacher and librarian
Eleanor Alberga (born 1949), Jamaican contemporary music composer
Eleanor Jane Alexander (1857–1939), poet and novelist
Eleanor Allan (born 1937), Scottish lawn bowler
Eleanor Aller (1917–1995), American cellist
Eleanor Ames, known as Eleanor Kirk (1831–1908), American author, businesswoman, newspaper publisher, and suffragist
Eleanor Antin (born 1935), American artist and filmmaker
Eleanor Arnason (born 1942), American writer of science fiction novels and short stories
Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson (1863–1942), American novelist
Eleanor Audley (1905–1991), American actress
Eleanor Southey Baker McLaglan (1879–1969), New Zealand doctor
Eleanor Baldwin Cass (1874–1966), American fencer
Eleanor Cunningham Bannister (1858–1939), American portrait painter
Eleanor Barnes, British physician
Eleanor Barooshian (1950–2016), American musician
Eleanor Barraclough, British cultural historian and writer
Eleanor Barton (1872–1960), British co-operative movement activist
Eleanor Bauer, American choreographer and dancer
Eleanor K. Baum, American electrical engineer
Eleanor Beardsley, French society, politics, economics, culture, history, business affairs, sport and gastronomy for National Public Radio
Eleanor Begtang (born 1964), Filipino politician
Eleanor Robson Belmont (1879–1979), English actress
Eleanor Marion Bennett (born 1942), Australian botanist
Eleanor Bergstein (born 1938), American screenwriter
Eleanor Berwick (born 1943), English retired vintner
Eleanor Best, British painter
Eleanor Bezzina (born 1977), Maltese sports shooter
Eleanor Bisbee (1893–1956), American writer
Eleanor Bishop, New Zealand stage director, producer and playwright
Eleanor Blackmore (1873–1943), British baptist missionary
Eleanor Taylor Bland (1944–2010), African-American writer
Eleanor Blevins (1894–1973), early American actress
Eleanor Albert Bliss (1899–1987), American bacteriologist
Eleanor Boardman (1898–1991), American actress
Eleanor Bodel (born 1948), Swedish singer
Eleanor Bond (born 1948), Canadian artist and art educator
Eleanor Bontecou (1891–1976), American lawyer
Eleanor Bor (1898–1957), British writer
Eleanor Elizabeth Bourne (1878–1957), Australian medical doctor
Eleanor Vere Boyle (1825–1916), British artist
Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd (1868–1942), American writer
Eleanor Brass (1905–1992), Canadian writer
Eleanor Bron (born 1938), British actress and author
Eleanor Brown (born 1973), American novelist
Eleanor Brown (footballer) (born 2000), Australian rules footballer
Eleanor Gertrude Brown (c. 1888–1964), American Milton scholar and educator
Eleanor Bufton (1842–1893), Welsh actress
Eleanor Alice Burford (1906–1993), English author
Eleanor Burnham, Welsh Liberal Democratic politician
Eleanor Burns (born 1945), American quilter
Eleanor Howard, Countess of Wicklow (1914–1997), Irish architect and politician
Eleanor Caines (1880–1913), American actress
Eleanor Calbes (1940–2016), Filipina soprano
Eleanor Harper Caldwell, American film editor
Eleanor Callow (1927–1974), Canadian baseball player
Eleanor Jane Taylor Calverley, American medical missionary
Eleanor Keaton (1918–1998), American dancer and variety show performer
Eleanor Mercein Kelly (1880–1968), American writer
Eleanor Kieliszek (1925–2017), American politician
Eleanor Campbell King (1906–1991), American modern dancer and choreographer
Eleanor Warwick King (born 1957), British appellate court judge
Eleanor King (1906–1991), American dancer
Eleanor Talbot Kinkead, American novelist
Eleanor Kinnaird (born 1931), American politician
Eleanor Kirk (1831–1908), American author, businesswoman, newspaper publisher, and suffragist
Eleanor Kish (1924–2014), American artist
Eleanor Knott (1886–1975), Irish scholar, academic and lexicographer
Eleanor Knowles (1932–2010), American author and editor
Eleanor Krawitz Kolchin (1927–2019), American mathematician, computer programmer, author and teacher
Eleanor La Mance (1898–1985), American singer
Eleanor Laing (born 1958), British politician
Eleanor de Laittre (1911–1998), American artist
Eleanor Lambert (1903–2003), American fashion publicist
Eleanor Lambert (cricketer), South African cricketer
Eleanor Annie Lamson (1875–1932), astronomer
Eleanor Larosa (born 2005), Australian cricketer
Eleanor Frances Lattimore (1904–1986), American author and illustrator
Eleanor Larrabee Lattimore (1874–1966), American sociologist
Eleanor Mary Ord Laurie (1919–2009), British mammalogist
Eleanor Lay, British publisher and print-seller
Eleanor Lazarovich-Hrebelianovich (1862–1957), American actress
Eleanor Winsor Leach (1937–2018), American classical scholar
Eleanor Leacock (1922–1987), American anthropologist
Eleanor Edwards Ledbetter, American librarian
Eleanor Lee (born 1999), Singaporean actress, singer and model
Eleanor Lee (politician) (1931–2025), American politician
Eleanor Agnes Lee (1841–1873), diarist, poet, and daughter of Robert E. Lee
Eleanor Percy Lee, American writer
Eleanor Lerman, American writer
Eleanor Lodge (1869–1936), British academic
Eleanor Merriam Lukits, American painter
Eleanor Lynn (1916–1996), American actress
Eleanor Lyons, British political consultant
Eleanor Maccoby (1917–2018), American psychologist
Eleanor Josephine Macdonald (1906–2007), American university teacher
Eleanor MacKinnon (1871–1936), Red Cross leader
Eleanor Macomber (1801–1840), missionary, teacher
Eleanor Madison (1731–1829), mother of James Madison Jr.
Eleanor Maguire (1970–2025), Irish neuroscientist
Eleanor L. Makel (1914–1992), American medical doctor and government official
Eleanor Manning (1906–1986), Australian military officer
Eleanor Mariano, United States admiral and physician
Eleanor Maroes (1943–2017), Canadian politician
Eleanor Cross Marquand (1873–1950), American art historian
Eleanor Martin (1951–2020), Australian dancer
Eleanor Marx (1855–1898), British writer and daughter of Karl Marx
Eleanor Matsuura (born 1983), British-Japanese actress
Eleanor Maurice, American painter
Eleanor Mayo (1920–1981), American politician
Eleanor Wilson McAdoo (1889–1967), American author and the youngest daughter of United States President Woodrow Wilson
Eleanor McClatchy (1895–1980), American newspaper executive
Eleanor McClintock (1902–1992), American scientist and cytogeneticist
Eleanor McEvoy (born 1967), Irish musician, singer/songwriter
Eleanor McFadden, Irish tennis player
Eleanor McGovern (1921–2007), spouse of American politician
Eleanor McKenzie (born 1931), Canadian sprinter
Eleanor Southey Baker McLaglan (1879–1969), New Zealander medical doctor
Eleanor McLaughlin (born 1938), Scottish politician
Eleanor McMahon, Canadian politician
Eleanor McMain (1868–1934), American settlement house worker and progressive reformer
Eleanor Mears (1917–1992), Scottish medical practitioner and campaigner
Eleanor Mary Mellon, American sculptor
Eleanor Merry, British anthropologist
Eleanor Millard (born 1942), Canadian politician
Eleanor Miller (1868–1943), California politician
Eleanor Milleville, American sculptor
Eleanor Mills (journalist), British journalist
Eleanor Milne (1925–2014), Canadian sculptor
Eleanor Modrakowska (1879–1955), American painter
Eleanor Mondale, American actress, infotainer, television personality
Eleanor Montague (1926–2018), American radiologist and educator who established breast-conserving therapy in the United States
Eleanor Montgomery (1946–2013), American high jumper
Eleanor Allen Moore (1885–1955), Scottish-Irish painter
Eleanor Hiestand Moore (1859–1923), American physician and suffragist
Eleanor May Moore (1875–1949), Australian pacifist
Eleanor Moore (1933–2022), American baseball player
Eleanor Morton, multiple people
Eleanor Mosley (born 1700, date of death unknown), English milliner and businesswoman
Eleanor Moty, American metal smith and jewelry artist
Eleanor Munro (1928–2022), American art critic, art historian, writer, and editor
Eleanor Murray, British-Canadian epidemiologist
Eleanor Myers (1925–1996), American archaeologist
Eleanor Myerson, American politician
Eleanor Nabwiso, Ugandan actress, producer, director and television personality
Eleanor Nathan, British politician
Eleanor Nesbitt, British Punjabi scholar
Eleanor Legasto Nishiumi, known as Ellen Nishiumi (born 1966), Filipino television personality
Eleanor Nisperos, American lawyer
Eleanor Noble (born 1980), Canadian actress
Eleanor Norcross (1854–1923), American painter
Eleanor Norrie, Canadian politician
Eleanor Nwadinobi, Nigerian medical doctor and women's health activist
Eleanor O'Byrne (1896–1987), American Catholic nun
Eleanor Manning O'Connor (1884–1973), American architect
Eleanor O'Donnell (born 1998), Scottish badminton player
Eleanor Oldroyd (born 1962), British radio broadcaster
Eleanor Olszewski, Canadian politician
Eleanor O'Meara (died 2000), Canadian figure skater
Eleanor E. Orlebar (1841–1906), English writer
Eleanor Anne Ormerod (1828–1901), British entomologist
Eleanor Ostman, American food writer
Eleanor Owen (1921–2022), also known as Eleanor DeVito, American journalist, playwright, university professor, costume designer, theatre actress, and mental health professional