Meaning
Usage
Pronunciation
Famous
Impression
Other
Eleanor is a beautiful name that goes well with anybody. It ages along with a person, as it is excellent for small children, young adults, and elderly individuals. I have a very positive association with this name and it makes me smile every time I hear or see it. If your name is Eleanor then please know that it is beautiful, graceful, elegant and it suits you beautifully!
A beautiful name.
I think Eleanor is a beautiful, timeless name that ages flawlessly.
An exquisite one.
Hi, my name is Eleanor and since forever i have LOVED my name. I never thought it to be grandma like or just plain ugly. Eleanor or any other name is BEAUTIFUL. In the literal rules it says and I quote “Be as kind as possible. Consider that children may be reading the comments about their own names“ you didn't look at yours and think hmmmm this goes against the rules. You probably made kids cry. Eleanor is one of the prettiest names for young and old, boys and girls (and nonbinary beans).
Eleanor Daley is a Canadian composer of choral and church music.
Last year (2022), 5 baby girls in Poland were given the name Eleanor. No babies got it as their middle name. As of January this year, there have been 87 women in Poland with the first name Eleanor and 41 others bear it as their middle name.
Per Wikipedia, “Eleanor” is related to the Occitan phrase “alia Aenor”, translated to “the other Aenor”. “Aenor” may itself be a corruption of “Adamardis”, apparently a feminine form of “Ademar”. “Ademar” is a masculine Germanic name, ultimately derived from “Audamar”, from the elements aud “wealth, prosperity” and mar “fame”.
This name is beyond perfect! And no my name is not Eleanor.
In Spain, we pronounce Eleanor as 'eh-leh-ah-nohr' with the emphasis on the second syllable. It is a pretty name.
Eleanor of Arborea, queen of the Sardinian kingdom of Arborea from 1347 to 1407.
Eleanor of Aragon (1402–1445) was a Queen of Portugal through her marriage to King Edward. She was the daughter of Ferdinand I of Aragon and Eleanor of Alburquerque.
Eleanor of Alburquerque (1374-1435) was Queen of Aragon by her marriage to Ferdinand I of Aragon. Some of her offspring would sit on the thrones of Castile, Aragon and Portugal.
The name sounds elegant and musical to me. It's not tacky or common, but it isn't weird or exclusively upper-class, either. The meaning of "the other Aenor" is a bit less elegant, I admit, but it is still quite nice.
Snobby, clunky, pretentious, spelt like it's just had a load of random vowels thrown in, I could go on. It genuinely shocks me that people can look at or hear this name and see anything else. Worse than Gertrude, Bertha, and Olga.
Eleanor Turner is a British harpist.
Eleanor Dunedin is a British harpist.
Am British and prefer the American way of saying this with emphasis on the end part, makes more sense said that way.
My name is Eleanor and I live in England, for me my name is said the way it's sung in the song Lady Eleanor by Lindisfarne. Somewhere between na and nor. A soft nor, you could say. In some places in Britain the nor is much stronger in others it is almost non existent. I don't mind either and I like how it is said in all countries and accents.
So old and wasn't even cute the first time round, why is this name suddenly getting popular again?
A beautiful classic. The meaning “shining light” is so lovely, and the name suits any age from baby to grandma. I love the nickname Ellie but my favourite is Nell, which I also love as a stand-alone.
I love this name! Some cute nicknames would be Ellie, Nora, Lea...
There is a song by Cake Bake Betty titled Eleanor on her album To The Dark Tower. I recommend it!
I'm sorry but this is one of the ugliest names I've ever heard. I can't understand why everyone thinks it's nice.
I love Eleanor! It’s classy, and rolls off the tongue so smoothly!
Eh-luh-nor and eh-luh-nuh are perfectly acceptable with the latter being more commonly used in England. I like both.
Eleanor is not for lily-livered lemons who cave to insecurity and peer pressure and change their name because people say it is too old/uncool/posh/common. OK yes I like the song by Lindisfarne called Lady Eleanor BUT I also like Eleanor Rigby who was an elderly Liverpudleun lady Paul McCartney used to run errands for as a boy then the Beatles made a song about her. YES I READ TOO MANY THINGS ABOUT THE BEATLES. My favorite names are Eleanor and Lucy because I LOVE THE BEATLES.
This used to be my name but I hated it so much that I'm in the process of getting it legally changed. I find everything about the name so ugly. I hate the spelling and the pronunciation Eh-leh-nuh just sounds annoying. The name doesn't suit me at all. Everyone who has only ever known me by my new name and has found out my old name agrees that it doesn't suit me. To me, the name gives off a snobby vibe, like it belongs to someone who does horseriding lessons, goes to private school, and looks down on poor people. I feel embarrassed to say that it is my name. Whenever it's called out, like on a register, and I have to admit that it's my name, I just feel humiliated. I'm glad I can change it but I'm just upset that I was stuck with such a horrible name until I was legally old enough to get rid of it. If you're considering this name for your baby, please reconsider. It's just awful.
My name is Eleanor Mae, which I've always loved for its mystical fairy sound. Though by my parents and friends I am called either Ellie or Nora.
Mystical and magical, Eleanor is elegant without being princessy and ancient without being dated. I like the European, English and American pronunciations equally.
This is my name. I disliked it due to dimwits pronouncing my name wrong, but I’m beginning to like my name! My nickname is Ella.
Pretty!
Great name.
Eleanor - womanly, elegant.
Ellie - down-to-earth, sweet nickname for a little Eleanor. I picture Eleanor on a mediaeval English woman and associate the name with France, Britain, magic and high-fantasy.
I've heard this name pronounced e-lee-uh-nor, though that's probably not right.
Eleanor is such a gorgeous name! Ellie is a sweet nickname as well.
Eleanor Worthington-Cox is an English actress and star of the television series "Brittania", as well as others.
In England it rhymes with Helena or sounds like Ellen-ah.
Regal and mysterious. Though a bit stuffy.In England this is not a unique name as some commented below. It is somewhat common and we do not pronounce the -nor. It is said to rhyme with Helena or Ellen-ah.
Eleanor is a beautiful, classic and very unique name. It's so gorgeous, ❤❤.
I have always loved this name, I think it's really beautiful! Doesn't seem too outdated to me. It feels delicate and strong at the same time, an almost fairy-like name. Would be great for a fantasy heroine.
Growing up, I hated my name but as I've grown I now love it for its uniqueness :)
In Cornelia's Funke's Inkheart trilogy, one of the main characters in the first book is Aunt Eleanor. She likes to say "Damn" a lot.
Eleanor; elegant.
I think Eleanor is a very classy and undeniably gorgeous name. It has an alluring vintage charm about it that makes it irresistible. In-fact, it is one of my favorite vintage names. It also ages beautifully, in my opinion.
Don't worry about the haters, they just don't know how to appreciate a classic. That's their problem.
Overall, I think Eleanor is a wonderful name.
Pretty name. I like the nickname Ell(i)e and Lea.
Awww, how I love Eleanor:)
Gosh, I want to like this name, but I just can’t. I know an 90+ year old, Eleanor in town. We were all scared of Eleanor as kids because she wasn’t so nice.
Possible nicknames include:
Ellie, Elly, Ella, Elea, Ellen, El, Elle, Nora, Norah, Nory, Norie, Nell, Nellie, Nelly, Leonore, Leonora, Lea, Lenore, Lenny, Lennie, Lena, etc.
I would name my child this. I like the name Ellen for it. It’s cute.
Realized while watching the Good Place that some people pronounce it Ella-nurr. I always thought it was just Ella-nore.
I really like Eleanor. It's elegant but not too frilly, vintage but fresh and youthful-sounding while at the same time ages well, has something soft to it but at the same time feels very strongly down to Earth. It's almost as versatile as Elizabeth, and just like with Elizabeth this doesn't make it feel neutral or bland. I slightly prefer our Polish Eleonora as it's so long, a lot rarer here than Eleanor is in the English-speaking world, and has even more sophistication, I also love the Swedish Ellinor. I like that Eleanor may be etymologically connected to Helena which is my all-time favourite and thus makes me like Eleanor even more. Eleanor has a great nickname potential and I love most of its nicknames, perhaps except for Nora. It has a very nerdy feel to it in my opinion but I see it as an advantage.
Eleanor Tomlinson is an English actress and singer.
The standard Polish form of this name is Eleonora, however, the name Eleanor is also sometimes used in Poland. In January 2021 there were 59 women in Poland with Eleanor as a first name, and 32 had it as a middle name. An Eleanor could celebrate her name day with Eleonora on 21st February. Nicknames could also be the same or similar to Eleonora and include: Ela, Elka, Elcia, Elenka, Eli, Nora, Norka, Norcia, Elinorka, Elenka, Elinka, Elisia etc.
This name is very elegant! I love the other spelling: Eleonore, Eleonora, Leonore, and Leonor too!
I had a grandmother called Eleanor and her elder sister was called Elisabeth. I always thought what an amazing choice of names my great grandparents had. I always thought both names were beautiful, specially Eleanor.
But people talking about that some names are old are mental? Do you know that old people born as babies like everyone else right? So Eleanor is not old cause every old Eleanor was a baby like everyone. There are just names that are trendy and names that aren't.
Lovely name; really classy and elegant. I know two sisters Eleanor and Elizabeth and I think the pairing is perfect.
I’m sorry, but this is just plain hideous.
Even though I don't like this name, I find the name Elle to be gorgeous!
Nora is my favorite and the best nickname for this name!
Ugh. I can not stand this name. Nothing appealing about it.
Although the English pronunciation (rhymes with Helena) is a little odd given the spelling I much prefer it to the way it's said in America.
When I first realized this name was coming back I still considered it an older person name, but now I think it’s adorable on a little girl. I like the name Eleanor Maeve.
It is very homely. I have some extremely awful personal associations with this name as well.
Eleanor has an antiquated feel of fantasy and other-worldliness.
The song Eleanor Rigby is obviously well known but I want to bring attention to two other songs Elenore by The Turtles and Eleanor by Lindisfarne.
Homely name.
Name of the day, 3-2-21.
I prefer Leonor or Elinor.
This is one of those previous "old" names that has become young again (most popular in the 1920s and 30s), that likely started trending again because people started combing their family trees. I used to mainly associate this name with Eleanor Roosevelt - she's still a strong association, but now I mostly think of medieval queens.
"Eleanor Rigby" is one of the most famous and loved Beatles' songs. It's about a lonely woman, Eleanor Rigby and the lonely father McKenzie. Eleanor Rigby did actually exist: the Beatles took inspiration from a tombstone in Liverpool reporting this name with the ones of some people related to Eleanor Rigby.
Although the etymology is uncertain, I really like this name, because it sounds unique, mysterious and medieval. I also appreciate the variants Eleonora and Leonora. I also think Eleanor is a timeless name.
I like it! It has an ancient feel to it, it could be the name of King Arthur's daughter for example. I think Elinor was the daughter of a character in LOTR too. On the negative side it could be seen as a bit stuffy so luckily there are a few nice nicknames. I like Nellie. My favourite EL names are Eleanor, Elizabeth, Eloise and Eliana.
An old lady name. Most people naming their baby this will just end up calling her Ellie, so might as well just name her Ellie. Don’t worry, employers won’t throw Ellie’s resume in the trash just based on her name alone.
Ouch Sakusha, elitist much, does an Ellie have the heart of your beloved? Hang in there bruh it'll pass.
Eleanor is romantic and womanly but I like that there are a handful of sweet youthful namesakes to choose from too: Nora, Nellie, Elle, Nell, Ellie. Helena is a similar sounding alternative that I currently prefer because it's not as popular in England.
From Adenorde: 'adal' - noble or 'alda' - old, ancient, and 'nord' - North.
Or from Adamardis (f), Ademar(m): 'aud' - wealth, and 'meri' - famous.
Eleanor Jean Parker (1922-2013) was an American actress who appeared in some 80 movies and television series. Doug McClellan wrote her biography: Woman of a Thousand Faces (1989).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Parker
I’m sorry but this is absolutely awful!
Good name, classic look, strong sound, just simple, beautiful name Eleanor! Wonderful name, even if it's quite popular these days, but who cares, it's good!
Classic, plain, attractive. A strong old name that's been in use for hundreds of years. I regret when any name becomes too overused, particularly when that name is timeless, but it appears it is about to happen to Eleanor.
All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
I don’t mean to offend anyone, but I really dislike this name. Sorry.
Straightforward inoffensive name with strong roots. It reminds me of Elizabeth I guess because they both have an unembellished, historical feel to them. I think 'Eleanor' is an all rounder and would suit a checkout girl, artist, lawyer, marine biologist, cleaner, librarian. Nellie is a cute nickname as is Nora.
I think ze name Eleanor is just beautiful.A Google search says it means 'Bright, shining one.' A graceful enduring name that belongs with the likes of Louisa, Lucy, Alice, Emma etc.Here it is said much like Helena without the H.
I am not keen on the American pronunciation- perhaps the way they say it is why it has been so uncommon there?
Good lord some of the more recent comments on here are rather tactless dahhlings.Some of the reasons I likes Eleanor:
-Eleanor of Aquitaine
-Has roots that stretch back as far as the middle ages, perhaps farther?
-Multiple hypocorisms
-Can be said ellena (typically British) and Ellenorr (typically American...i think? Please don't whip me too viciously if I've got that wrong)
-Has a lovely meaningAlthough I think it may be picking up in popularity quite a bit at the moment and is thus about to go through a trendy stage (I personally would avoid using a trendy name if choosing for a baby as they may be one of many in their classroom) I generally find Eleanor to be quite the timeless classic. A beautiful, elegant womanly name with sweet youthful nicknames for when she's wee.
So ugly. Please don’t!
I only know one Eleanor, a big scary mean 90+ year old lady. I don’t find this name appealing AT ALL!
I mean, I don't really like this name but I don't understand why a name being old is a bad thing. Like, why is that the main argument here?
Olddd.
To be honest, I used to think Eleanor was a big old lady name, but it’s kinda growing on me now. It’s a mixture of classy, elegant, and ages pretty well. It’s not all bad.
Not a fan AT ALL! I get it, they’re coming back in and I have friends who have named their daughters Esther, Edith, and Eleanor, but I would not want to be stuck with such a plain old lady sounding name throughout life!
I can’t believe this name has made a comeback. So unattractive! The only two Eleanors I know are older ladies in their mid 70s to mid 80s.
Eleanor Holm (1913-2004) was an American swimmer who competed in the 1928 and 1932 Olympics and won a gold medal in the latter. She attracted controversy for getting drunk and passing out on the ship that was taking her to Germany for the 1936 Olympics, which resulted in her being expelled from the team.
I haven't always loved the name Eleanor, but I've grown to appreciate it more. It's a dignified, feminine name that isn't too common for young girls.
My name is Eleanor, and I pronounce it with an "or" sound, although a few people say it "Eleaner". My family calls me Ella, which I much prefer over Ellie. I've met only a couple Eleanors in my life, and one of them was a teenager. I've never thought of it as an old name, but sort of dignified, which I like. It's hard to think of your own name as old when you're not. I've had a lot of people misspell my name, either as Elenor or Elinor or Elanor, or even Ellanor, but I still love my name spelled the way it is.
I can't say I'm glad it's had a resurgence in popularity.
Eleanor is a very pretty and classy name!
My name is Eleanor and I am an American and my family, friends, and I all pronounce it "El-uh-NER" not "El-uh-NOR". I believe this is the original way to pronounce it, because it is an English name and we are of English descent. The only time I've heard it pronounced "El-uh-NOR" is usually when a person hasn't heard the name before or is not of English descent/WASP.
I appreciate that this is a dignified name that works in formal contexts, with so many fun, more casual nicknames. That way your kid can decide whether to go by Eleanor or Ellie or whatever else they like and you don’t have to worry about the name’s formality (or lack thereof) not suiting them.
This is my cousin's name, though she always goes by Ellie. I really like it - it's a smart sounding name that's a good mix of modern and old fashioned. I pronounce it El - luh - noor.
Well, my name is Eleaner, not Eleanor but people tend to ask me why is it not "Eleanor". Truth is, I don't know, all I know is that I love my name and its quite unique. Eleaner or Eleanor, people should learn to pronounce our names properly.
My name is Eleanor and when I was little I hated it because I would always get compared to Eleanor Roosevelt, but when I got older I realized how nice of a name it is and that I'm not going to be a kid forever so I'm glad it's not a childish name. This is the name that is going to be on my job application so I'm glad my name is not something like Apple or something even more crazy.
Eleanora sounds much better.
I love having the name Eleanor. This wasn't always the case as a child. I didn't know another person named Eleanor growing up. Whenever I ran into someone who was familiar with the name, they would tell me their grandmother shared the same name or start talking about the movie "Gone in 60 seconds". Eventually I had to watch this movie to figure out what they were talking about. But I have truly come to appreciate this classic and underused name. (My parents said it was either Eleanor or Gladys...)
This was supposed to be my name, and I wish it was. It's such a pretty name.
It's my friend's name and every time that I am around her, her name gives off a really bad aura- which is why I steer clear of her and don't communicate with a bad personality that much.
Eleanor is a nice name, and I particularly like all the nicknames that it has. Ellie, Ella, Nora, Ellen and Nellie are just a few off the top of my head. Eleanor's pretty, but I personally prefer Ella.
In 2018, 83 is the most common age for an American (U.S.) Eleanor who is registered female with the Social Security Administration. It is the 389th most common female first name for living U.S. citizens.
A famous bearer was Eleanor “Nelly” Parke Custis Law, George Washington’s step granddaughter/adopted daughter. She was named after her mother, Eleanor Calvert Custis.
Classic beautiful name and not overused, love it.
My mother wanted to name me Eleanor but she thought it was too dated so she named me Ellen. I feel like Ellen is more dated than Eleanor though.
Eleanor Shellstrop is the protagonist of the TV series "The Good Place." She is portrayed by Kristen Bell.
Eleanor is a very pretty and classic name. It's not one of those names you can only picture on a older person or one of those names you can only see on a teenager. Plus, it has cute nicknames, though I prefer Eleonora/Eleanora or Eleanore.
Eleanor Concepcion "Connie" Mariano, is a Filipina American physician and former flag officer in the United States Navy. She is the first Filipino American and graduate of the Uniformed Services University of Medicine to reach the rank of Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy as well as the first woman to become the director of the White House Medical Unit.
My Grandma has this name, born in 1936. She has always been physically very beautiful even into her old age, and she's the sweetest and kindest lady who automatically draws affection and positive feelings from nearly everyone she meets, so I've got a great impression of this name. I would consider it for a future daughter, but it seems to be climbing in popularity and if it gets too common I'll instead go for a derivative like Lenore, Leona, Leonora, etc. All of them are lovely though.
Eleanor Tomlinson is a British actress. Though active since 2005, she will perhaps be best known in the future as leading actress playing "Demelza" in the 2015- TV series adaptation of the "Poldark" saga by author Winston Graham, which was first adapted into a TV series running from 1975-1977.
Eleanor "Nell" Gwyn was a long-time mistress of King Charles II of England and Scotland. Called "pretty, witty Nell" by Samuel Pepys, she has been regarded as a living embodiment of the spirit of Restoration England and has come to be considered a folk heroine, with a story echoing the rags-to-royalty tale of Cinderella. She was the most famous Restoration actress and possessed a prodigious comic talent. Gwyn had two sons by King Charles: Charles Beauclerk; and James Beauclerk. The surname of her sons is pronounced 'Bo-Clare'. Charles was created Earl of Burford and later Duke of St. Albans.
Eleanor Matsuura is a British actress, who is best known for her roles as Hannah Santo in Spooks: The Greater Good, Bev in Utopia and as PC Donna Prager in Cuffs. Matsuura was born in Tokyo and raised in Hertfordshire, England. She was trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and graduated in 2004. She is trained in Modern and Period dance.
I love this name! It's timeless, and it's a longer, and more formal alternative to Ella & Ellie! Eleanor is a spectacular name, and the nicknames are adorable.
Eleanor Bron is an English stage, film and television actress, and an author. She is best known for her roles as Ahme in Help! And Miss Minchin in A Little Princess (1995).
My name is Eleanor after both my grandma and my mum... It's pronounced Ell-ah-nah which I find much prettier and everyone comments on how much nicer it is when pronounced that way.
For those of you not knowing how it can be pronounced like this, my Granddad used to explain that you wouldn't pronounce 'Doctor - Doc-TOR' or 'tractor - Trac-TOR' (well you might if you have an American accent) so this name follows the same structure :)
I'm confused as to how "the other Aenor" can be the only explanation for Eleanor, as, contrary to what's stated, Eleanor of Aquitaine doesn't seem to have been the first bearer of the name. Éléonore de Blois-Champagne seems to have been at least 18 years older than Eleanor of Aquitaine, and her mother's name was Adela, not Aenor.https://www.geni.com/people/%C3%89l%C3%A9onore-de-Blois-Champagne/6000000005598859553. [noted -ed]
I'm not really big on this name, but I admit it's got somewhat of an old-world charm that I do enjoy. It's got a multitude of adorable nicknames -- Ellie, Ella, Lea, Nora, Norrie -- which I appreciate. Not a favorite, but I do like it.
This name is simply beautiful. Every positive adjective can be used to describe it. If you are considering this name for your little girl, some combos I have that you more than welcome to take a look at are:Eleanor Greta
Eleanor Jessa
Eleanor Lara
Eleanor Lyra
Eleanor Paige
Eleanor Violet
Eleanor Josephine.
My name is Eleanor, and I love it. I'm so happy my parents gave it to me, because there are SO many nicknames to choose from! I go by Ellie with most people, but I love how official the full name looks on documents, applications, etc.
I just want to say I have never really had an issue with my given name. It is written in the German form however with "ra" sound ending. The only problem a parent would have is "How do you spell that?" when asked because there are so many versions. I never used a shortened version or a nickname. I have always liked my name growing up (smile). In my mind as a child "only important people would have that name" so that I always felt special.
Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been, lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door, who is it for?...
Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale was an English artist during the late 19th and early 20th century.
Eleanor is a mature, classy and beautiful name. I love the way it sounds and all! ^__^ This name definitely deserves the love! (:
Eleanor is such a beautiful, classy and regal-sounding name.
I'm fond of this name. It does make you think of an old lady, but I like a lot of older names.
Eleanor Miller was the youngest of the Chippettes. She was my favorite, especially in the Chipmunk Adventure. She was also called Ellie. She was sweet and kind with cute little pigtails. I love this name.
I know lots of Eleanor's so I think it may be a common name as there are so many of them that I know. There are also quite a few famous people called Eleanor.
I think this name has quite a pretty old-fashioned ring to it.
I like this name a lot. Although I agree that this name is pretty "old-sounding", I fell in love with it after seeing the character Eleanor from the game Rule of Rose. Eleanor now makes me think of a somewhat lonely, quiet little girl. The spelling "Eleanor" looks better to me than "Elinor".Also I hate the nickname Ellie, it makes me think of an elephant. Ellie is an awesome character from the game The Last of Us, but I still think of it negatively. I like Nora more as a nickname.
My name is Eleanor and I love it. When I was little I never met another Eleanor and it always made me feel special, unique and beautiful. I have gotten so many comments from people of all ages who love my name for one reason or another. I also love the fact that people remember my name, it stands out to them in a good way and helps me stand out from the crowd. I would not change my name for the world even if lots of people's grandmothers have the same name as me.
I really love this name! My mom considered naming me this, but thought it would be weird because her name is Ellen. We generally pronounce this name like Ella-nor. I really like it on its own or with the nickname Elea (pronounced eL-ee-ah). Though I don't mind the other nicknames Elle (just pronounced like the letter L) and Ella, I cannot stand Ellie. That's just my opinion, no offense to anyone. Overall it's a great name.
Eleanor Audley (1905-1991) was an American film and TV actress. She was most famous for her two Disney roles - she voiced Lady Tremaine in Cinderella and Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty. She also made many memorable appearances on television in the 1950s and 1960s.
On the CBS show "Under the Dome" one of the characters has the name Norrie, which is a nickname for Eleanor.
Name of the Day: March 2, 2013.
Unfeminine and harsh? I don't see how.
I adore the nickname Ellie! Not Elly or Ellee or Elli but, ELLIE.
I really don't like this name, sorry. It sounds unfeminine and quite harsh. Not a fan.
Eleanor Logan (born 1987 in Portland, Maine) is an American rower and Olympic gold medalist.
I used to not really have an opinion about this name. It made me think of older women (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) but it just never struck me as youthful. Now, for me anyway, it does seem like a name that could fit every kind of woman (young or old!) It's a unusual name in my opinion, because while it is does seem classical and simple, there is also something about that is exotic and deep at the same time. I love the name and would recommend it for any little girl. It's a great refreshing choice in a world full of little Madisons, Emilys, Sarahs, and Emmas!
I like this name a lot, it sounds very elegant, warm and makes me think of someone who is gentle, compassionate and also as beautiful as her name itself, I think I will use it on one of my own kids in the future. Also I have my own view on how to pronounce this name, I like to say it El-lay-nohr like Elena and Eleanor combined.
Eleanor was the third daughter of King Edward I of England and his wife Eleanor of Castile.
Eleanor was the only daughter of King Edward I of England and his second wife Margaret of France.
Eleanor of England was the oldest daughter of Edward II of England and his wife Isabelle of France.
Eleanor of England (1215-1275) was the youngest child of King John "Lackland" and his wife Isabelle.
Eleanor of England (1162-1214) was the daughter of Henry II of England and his wife Eleonore of Aquitaine. She was named after her mother. She later married Alfonso VIII of Castile and had 11 children with him.
I'm English and live in the North West. My friend's name is Eleanor. She pronounces it 'ell-eh-nor' NOT 'ell-en-a' as do all her family and friends. I don't understand how Eleanor even remotely looks like it should be pronounced like Elena... O_o.
Beautiful, classy name. The nicknames Ellie and Nora are nice too.
This is one of my top girl names right now, paired with the middle name Sophia. It sounds elegant and timeless, and has the cute nickname Ella (or Ellie, or Nell, but I prefer Ella.) Eleanor of Aquitaine and Eleanor Roosevelt were strong women and excellent namesakes. This name has it all.
I like this name. The only problem is the Beatles song Eleanor Rigby. The song is pretty and we sing it a lot which makes it unusable for me. I wouldn't want my daugher to be one of the "lonely people". The tragic nature of the beautiful song would bother me. But I wouldn't mind hearing someone else named this.
This is my first new niece's name! Eleanor Lily, sounds like the name of a princess. Love it!
Eleanor Rigby, of course! One of the best songs by The Beatles and many artists.
Sure, it's pretty and dignified, but it's long and dull and reminds me of hypochondriac old women. I don't like the spelling of it, but besides Elinor (which is like eye cancer) I can't think of any other ways to spell it. The only plus of this name is the nickname Nell/y.
Funnily enough, I love the name Lenore.
Eleanor reminds me on an old woman who sits around drinking tea all day. Way too old fashioned for me.
I personally think Eleanor is a lovely name. It has a bit of an elegant old-world feel to it, but is still very suited for this day and age.
However. I much prefer it pronounced as "Ehl-Eh-Nohr," instead of the ghastly "Ehl-Eh-Nuh," "Ehl-Eh-Ner." I am positive that many, if not all, have met certain people who voice "Buffalo" as "BuffaLER," "BuffaLUH." And to be quite blunt: it is horrid. It sounds very uneducated, very unsophisticated. A thief of an otherwise gorgeous, splendid, and sensational name.Consider your pronunciation... I implore you with all my heart.
Let your child be proud of her name.
I love the name Eleanor. It has such a soft, warm feel to it. It's very beautiful. I also love the nickname Ellie for it.
This name is commonly thought to mean "torch" or "shining light".
Eleanor is my daughter's name. Obviously I love this name or wouldn't've stuck it on my child. I prefer having the "-nor" pronounced in that fashion (she has a great grandmother who constantly wants to call her "ElenER"). The British pronunciation of "-nuh" wouldn't bother me either though. Potential word of caution for those considering naming a daughter this: If you really like the shortening "Ella" - make sure it sticks and no one calls your daughter "Ellie"! I'm sure the advice is relevant the other way around too. My daughter goes by "Ellie" (because other family members called her that... I preferred Ella... but whatever, Ellie isn't terrible, though it reminds me of a cow's name) and is under the impression currently (she is 3) that her name is pronounced "Ellie-nor". Mildly amusing - I continuously reinforce "Eleanor" to her - I hope she realizes that Eleanor is her name and not "Ellie-nor". Oh, and to the person who commented that this is a stuck-up upper-class name... not necessarily. I am neither and as a consequence my Eleanor is obviously not upper-class. Nor is she stuck up, as it is difficult to classify a preschooler as stuck-up. Of course it's connotations of being upper class, intelligent, refined and elegant are part of the point in naming a child, are they not? Give the child a name that will assist him/her in adulthood and forebode success. I LOVE this name. :)
It's nice, but I can never remember how to spell it.
There was actually an earlier example than Eleanor of Aquitaine of a person bearing this name: Eleanor of Normandy, daughter of Richard II of Normandy. She was born between 1011 and 1013 and died after 1071. I guess that kills the "other Aenor" etymology. Sorry.
Eleanor Arroway is the name of the heroine in Carl Sagan's novel "Contact" (and in the movie version of the book). She is an astronomer who discovers an alien radio signal. Most people call her Ellie, and she is played by Jodie Foster. Personally, I love the book, but I am not as fond of the film.
Eleanor is the new Emily.
My sister's name is Eleanor and we always pronounce it like "elean-OR". Without this "or" the name goes lame.
The lead singer of the La Roux is named Eleanor, and she goes by Elly.
In Britain it is pronounced EL-en-uh or EL-en-er. The 'NOR' part is not made at all unlike the American pronunciation.
My sister's name is Eleanor, and I think it's an okay name, but we pronounce it ellen-uh, rather than with the influence on the "nor" suffix. I think that the pronunciation "elean-or" is more of an American thing.
It reminds me of a very elegant, classy and intelligent woman. I however know an Eleanor who is quite the tomboy, so there you go.
This is the name of a very important character in Libba Bray's "Rebel Angels". Great book. It is the second in the "Great and Terrible Beauty" series. Fantastic! But she goes by the nickname of "Nell". Nell in the book is a slightly insane girl who is housed at the place where Gemma's (the main character) brother works.
Eleanor is the name of the daughter of King John and Isabella of Angouleme and sister of King Henry III, Eleanor was married to Simon De Montfort, 6th earl of Leicester in 1238.
Eleanor Friedberger is half of the Fiery Furnaces.
"Eleanor, Put Your Boots On" is a song from the Glaswegian band Franz Ferdinand's second album, You Could Have It So Much Better. This song is a fine demonstration of the musicality and elegance of the name Eleanor.
The name is quite pretty, but it sounds like a grandmother name, and I would think that people with a daughter named Eleanor today are quite snobby, as the name has a bit of an elitist sound to it.
The name Eleanor to me sounds lovely, but it has an older, geriatric connotation. There are quite a few 80 year old Eleanors and considerably less hot young twenty something Eleanors. Regardless I like this name because of its connotation with good music. The Beatles have a song entitled "Eleanor Rigby", Franz Ferdinand has a song "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" and JET has a song called simply, "Eleanor". It seems to be a favorite amongst great musicians and for that reason I like it quite a bit.
In England, it is not usually pronounced El-en-or, but El-en-er. I know, because it's my name, and no one - ever - pronounces is El-en-or. I think El-en-or is a more American pronunciation, and personally, I prefer the one I'm used to.
I've known two eccentrically pronounced 'Eleanors': Eleonor pronounced eh-LEE-a-nor and an Alieanor ahl-ya-AH-nor.
Where pronunciation is concerned, I personally agree with Ms Eleanor (dogstar21). Pronounce the last syllable of this name as "-er" instead of "-or" and the elegance that goes with this name is destroyed point-blank.Aside from elegance, the impression I get of this name is that it fits a pleasantly sprightly girl.
This is my name. Athough I usually go by Ellie, when people first meet me, they sometimes address me as Eleanor. However, some people will pronounce it as though it were spelled Eleaner, which I think is really ugly! Please pronounce this name the correct way!
I really like this name. It's very classic, yet sweet and light and very fresh sounding. In my opinion it's far better sounding than "Ellen" (for short).
Elinor, Alanor, means god's light in Hebrew and Arabic, or possibly 'god is my light'.
eli- of god, noor/nur/nor - light/lamp
For me, personally, the impression this name gives me is one of a girl who is joyful and optimistic all the time.
I personally love the name Eleanor, it is so distinguished. I like this spelling more, it looks stronger to me. There are so many nicknames that can be taken from this nickname, so you have diverse options. One of my friend's name is Eleanor and she really likes it. It is a roughly unique name and I hope it stays that way.
I think that Eleanor is a nice classic name with very cute nicknames like Lenore and Nellie. I give this name a well-deserved 9 stars!
This is one of my favourite names at the moment. The full "Eleanor" is a good, serious name for a woman to have, yet it can be shortened to Ellie, Ella etc. Probably my second favourite name right now.
I think this name sounds a bit old and too serious, but still has some kind of charm to it. I prefer the spelling Elynor or Elinor, though. They seem prettier to me.
I like Elinor much more than this spelling.
I thought the name Eleanor came from the name Helen, which means 'bright light' or 'shining one'?
It works great for someone of any age. She could be called Elly or Elle when she's younger and then be called Eleanor when she's older.
Unique name. Not very many people I know bear it. I like the nickname Ellie better than Nor, though.
This name has many strong associations, as well as good nickname possibilites, for those who are so inclined. Probably my second favorite female name at the moment.
Eleanor Tilney is the sister of hero Henry Tilney in authoress Jane Austen's novel 'Northanger Abbey'(1817). Eleanor Tilney is presented as an idealized young woman, sweet and the best friend heroine Catherine Morland can ever have.
No offense but I just don't like the sound of this name.
At the moment Eleanor is my favourite girl's name. I think Ellie is a cute shortened form of Eleanor, especially with Mai as the middle name.
There is also Elinor Dashwood from Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.
It's my name and I like it. I'm the only Eleanor I know who gets called Nor. But Ellie's my favourite.
One of my favourites, after Flora.
Eleanor is one of my favorite names. It's one of those names that sounds good on little girls and adults.
In Gail Carson Levine's 'Ella Enchanted' the first name of Ella is actually Eleanor, and her father calls her that sometimes. It was also the name of her mother.
On Degrassi the Next Generation there is a character named Eleanor Nash. She is also called Ellie.
A famous bearer is First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
This is a pretty name but it's spelt wrong. It says Elly-a-nore. Yuck!
This name was borne by American silent movie actress Eleanor Boardman (1898-1991), who was Mrs. King Vidor. Her husband directed her in her most famous film, "The Crowd" (1928).
I read that Eleanor comes from Greek origin and means "shining light."
Eleanor is a lovely name, it is so pretty.
Ellenor Frutt was a character on the T.V. show "The Practice." She was played by Camryn Manheim. On a side note, I prefer the spelling "Ellenor" to "Eleanor."
Another theory on the origin of the name, in the context of Eleanor of Aquitaine, is that her name came from a corruption of the Old French ALIA - AENOR, meaning 'the daughter of Aenor'. [noted -ed]
Eleanor of Aquitaine's name (in the form Alienor) comes from the compound of her mother's name Aenor and the Latin(?) prefix 'alia' meaning 'other'. Essentially her name meant 'the other Aenor'.
Eleanor of Aquitaine was named such after her mother, Aenor. Her name breaks down as "alia-aenor," literally "the other Aenor."
The most recent usage in the Hollywood world that I can think of is in the film "Gone In 60 Seconds". Nicholas Cage's character Randel Reynes calls 50 cars he has to steal in one night by ladies names. ELEANOR is the codename for a Shelby Mustang GT 500 which is by far one of the most beautiful and elegant cars ever created.
Eleanor is the name of the woman from The Beatles' song "Eleanor Rigby".
Another version of this name is Elanor. This can be taken as a form of Eleanor, or by its Quenya meaning, 'sun-star'. In JRR Tolkien's novel 'The Lord of the Rings' Elanor is the name of both a golden five-pointed flower that grows in the woods of Lothlorien and of Samwise and Rose Gamgee's eldest daughter due to her blonde hair.
Elanor (el: star, and anor: sun) comes from Quenya, but that's just in Tolkien's books.

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