Girl name · Old French
Eleanor
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: reportedly from Latin alia Aenor, the other AenorEleanor is a girl's name that comes from Old French and means "reportedly from Latin alia Aenor, the other Aenor". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Reportedly from Latin alia Aenor, the other Aenor
- Origin
- Old French
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #12 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Eleanor
As a girl's name, Eleanor comes from Old French and means "reportedly from Latin alia Aenor, the other Aenor". It is used in English.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Eleanor on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Eleanor on 3 lists.
“Elegant and strong, with Nell for short”
From Girl dog names, feminine names for dogs
“Meaning uncertain; Occitan, via Old French. Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of France and then of England, 12th century”
From Medieval names and surnames, medieval female names from England and France
“Meaning uncertain; Old French. Eleanor of Aquitaine's name, more popular now than ever”
From Vintage girl names, old fashioned girl names from the 1900s to 1920s
How popular is Eleanor?
- US rank in 2025
- #12
- 7,649 babies, 4,759 per million girls
- Best rank
- #12 in 2025
- Most babies: 8,497 in 1920
- Babies since 1880
- At least 336,678
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 1,627 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 2,140 per million |
| 1900s | 3,426 per million |
| 1910s | 6,641 per million |
| 1920s | 6,255 per million |
| 1930s | 4,350 per million |
| 1940s | 1,640 per million |
| 1950s | 575 per million |
| 1960s | 325 per million |
| 1970s | 178 per million |
| 1980s | 162 per million |
| 1990s | 271 per million |
| 2000s | 605 per million |
| 2010s | 2,293 per million |
| 2020s | 4,313 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #41 | #36 | #32 | #27 | #22 | #15 | #16 | #14 | #14 | #12 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Nicknames for Eleanor
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Elliecommon English nickname
- Nella medieval pet form of El- names, perhaps from mine El
- Noracommon English nickname
- Ellecommon English nickname
Names with a similar meaning
- SabrinaFrom Sabrina, the Latin name of the River Severn (Welsh, girl)
- HesterLatin form of Esther (Hebrew, girl)
- JustinFrom Latin Iustinus, derived from Justus, just (Latin, boy)
- MariaGreek and Latin form of Miriam, of uncertain meaning (Hebrew, girl)
- OwenAnglicized form of Owain, possibly from Latin Eugenius (Welsh, boy)
- AmoraApparently a modern coinage based on Latin amor, love (English, girl)
- ArabellaProbably a variant of Annabel; linked with Latin yielding to prayer (Latin, girl)
- BognaPet form of Bogdana and other Bog- names (Polish, girl)
- DiegoSpanish name of uncertain origin, often linked with Latin Didacus (Latin, boy)
- EliannaVariant of Eliana, from Latin Aelianus, traditionally linked to sun (Latin, girl)
Middle names for Eleanor
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Old French
- BellamyBeautiful friend (Old French, unisex)
- BlancheWhite, fair (Old French, girl)
- EsméEsteemed, loved (Old French, girl)
- AmyBeloved (Old French, girl)
- BaileySteward, bailiff (Old French, unisex)
- DouceSweet (Old French, girl)
- ElliePet form of Eleanor, Ellen, Elizabeth and other El- names (Old French, girl)
- EsmeeEsteemed, loved (Old French, girl)
- MalloryUnlucky, unfortunate (Old French, unisex)
- PaigeYoung servant, page (Old French, girl)
Eleanor: common questions
What does the name Eleanor mean?
Eleanor comes from Old French and means "reportedly from Latin alia Aenor, the other Aenor". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Eleanor a boy or girl name?
Eleanor is mainly a girl's name. In 2025, 7,649 girls and 5 boys in the US were named Eleanor, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are nicknames for Eleanor?
Common nicknames for Eleanor include Ellie, Nell, Nora and Elle.
How popular is the name Eleanor?
Eleanor ranked #12 in the US in 2025, with 7,649 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What middle names go with Eleanor?
Middle names that flow well with Eleanor include Bess, Grace, Gwen, Jade and Jean. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.