Eleanor dorcas pond.jpg

Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is 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 United States in the 1910s and 1920s, peaking at rank 25 in 1920. It declined below 600 by the 1970s, again rose to rank 32 in the 2010s. Eleanor Roosevelt, the longest-serving first lady of the US was probably the most famous bearer of the name in contemporary history.

Common hypocorisms include Elle, Ella, Ellie, Elly, Leonor, Leonora, Leonore, Nella, Nellie, Nelly, and Nora.

Origin

The name derives from the Provençal name Aliénor, which became Eléonore 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.

Variants

* Brittany: Azenor
* English: Eleanor, Elinor
* Estonian: Eleonoora, Ellinor
* French: Eléonore, Éléonore, Léonore, Elléonore, Eléanor, Éléanor, Éléanore, Aliénor, Aénor
* German: Eleonore
* Greek: Ελεονώρα
* Hungarian, Slovakian: Eleonóra
* Irish: Eileanóra, Elienor
* Italian, Dutch, Polish: Eleonora
* Latvian: Eleonora
* Occitan: Alienor, Alienòr
* Portuguese: Leonora, Leonor
* Provençal: Lenoa, Leno
* Spanish: Leonor
* Swedish: Eleanora, Ellinor, Elleonore, Elna

Notable people

Medieval

* Eleanor of Normandy (b. 1011/1013, d. after 1071), daughter of Richard II of Normandy.
* Eleanor of Aquitaine (ca. 1122–1204), wife of Louis VII of France and Henry II of England, mother of Richard I and King John
* 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, Fair Maid of Brittany (1184–1241), daughter of Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany
* Eleanor of Brittany (abbess) (1285-1342), granddaughter of Eleanor of Provence and Henry III, and later Abbess of Fontevraud
* Eleanor of Castile (1202-1244) (1202–1244), wife of James I of Aragon
* 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 Provence (1222–1291), wife of Henry III of England, mother of Edward I
* Eleanor of Castile (1241–1290), wife of Edward I of England, mother of Edward II
* 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 Anjou (1289-1341), daughter of Charles II of Naples and Mary of Hungary, and wife of Frederick III of Sicily
* Eleanor de Clare (1292-1337), granddaughter of Edward I of England and wife of Hugh Despenser the Younger
* Eleanor of Castile (1307-1359) (1307–1359), wife of Alfonso IV of Aragon
* Eleanor of Woodstock (1318–1355), daughter of Edward II, wife of Reynold II, Count of Gelderland
* Eleanor of Arborea (1347 – 1404), Sardinian judge
* Eleanor of Sicily (1349-1375), wife of Peter IV of Aragon
* Leonor Telles de Menezes (1350–1386), wife of Ferdinand I of Portugal
* Eleanor of Castile (d. 1416) (136x–1416), wife of Charles III of Navarre
* Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Portugal
* John/Eleanor Rykener, a 14th-century (possibly transgender) prostitute

Modern

* Eleanor of Viseu (1458–1525), wife of John II of Portugal
* Eleanor of Austria (1498–1558), Queen consort of Portugal (1516–1521) and of France (1530–1547)
* Eleanor of Toledo (1522–1562), Spanish noblewoman and Duchess and Regent of Florence (1539)
* Eleonore Batthyány-Strattmann (1672–1741), Viennese court lady
* Elleanor Eldridge (c.1784-c.1845), African American/Native American entrepreneur
* Eleanor Anne Porden (1795–1825), English poet
* Eleanor Macomber (1801–1840), missionary, teacher
* Eleonora Duse (1858 –1924), Italian actress
* Ellinor Aiki (1893–1969), Estonian painter
* Eleanor Audley (1905–1991), American actress
* Eleanor Boardman (1898–1991), American actress
* Eleanor Kearny Carr (1840–1912), American political hostess
* Eleonora Chiavarelli (1915–2010), wife of Aldo Moro
* Eleanor Glanville (1654–1709), English entomologist and naturalist
* Elinor Glyn (1864–1943), British novelist
* Eleanor Gwynn (known colloquially as "Nell") (1650-1687), Restoration actress and mistress of Charles II of England
* Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden, its reigning queen 1719-1720
* Eleonora, three 17th century Swedish queens consort
* Countess Palatine Eleonora Catherine of Zweibrücken, Swedish princess
* Eleanor Maria Easterbrook Ames (1831-1908), American writer, publisher
* Eleanor Marx (1855–1898), British writer and daughter of Karl Marx
* Eleanor Modrakowska (1879–1955), American painter
* Eleanor Porter (1868–1920), American novelist
* Eleanor Rathbone (1872–1946), British politician
* Elenore Abbott (1875–1935), American painter and book illustrator
* Elinore Pruitt Stewart (1876–1933), American homesteader in Wyoming and memoirist
* Eleanour Sinclair Rohde (1881-1950), British garden designer
* Eleanor Farjeon (1881–1965), British writer
* Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962), First Lady of U.S., wife of President Franklin Roosevelt
* Eleanor Soltau (1877–1962), English doctor
* Elinor Wylie (1885–1928), American writer
* Eleanor Butler Roosevelt (1888-1960), American philanthropist
* Eleanor Wilson McAdoo (1889-1967), American author and the youngest daughter of President U.S. Woodrow Wilson
* Eleanor Lansing Dulles (1895–1996), American economist and diplomat
* Eleanor Agnes Lee (1841–1873), diarist, poet, and daughter of Robert E. Lee
* Elinor Fair (1903–1957), American actress
* Eleanor Campbell King (1906–1991), American modern dancer and choreographer
* Eleanor Hibbert (1906–1993), British novelist
* Elinor Smith (1911–2010), American aviator
* Eleanor Powell (1912–1982), American tap dancer and actress
* Eleanor Ruggles (1916-2008), American biographer
* Eleonore Schönborn (1920–2022), Austrian politician
* Eleanor Parker (1922-2013), American actress
* Eleanor Roosevelt Seagraves (born 1927), American librarian, educator, historian, and editor
* Eleanor Helin (1932–2009), American astronomer
* Elinor Ostrom (1933–2012), American political scientist and Nobel prize winner
* Elinor Donahue (born 1937), American actress
* Eleanor Duckworth (born 1935), Canadian psychologist and educator
* Eleanor Holmes Norton (born 1937), American politician
* Eleanor Bron (born 1938), British actress and author
* Eleanor Montgomery (1946–2013), American high jumper
* Eleanor Bodel (born 1948), Swedish singer
* Eleanor Warwick King (born 1957), British appellate court judge
* Eleanor Smith (born 1957), British politician
* Eleanor Laing (born 1958), British politician
* Eleanor McEvoy (born 1967), Irish musician, singer/songwriter
* Eleanor Mears (1917–1992), Scottish medical practitioner and campaigner
* Elinor Middlemiss (born 1967), Scottish badminton player
* Eleanor Friedberger (born 1976), American musician
* Eleonora Dziekiewicz (born 1978), Polish volleyball player
* Ellie Reeves (born 1980), British politician
* Éléonore Caroit (born 1985), French politician
* Eleanor James (born 1986), English actress
* Eleonora "Ellen" van Dijk (born 1987), Dutch road and track cyclist
* Elinor Joseph (born 1991), Israeli soldier
* Eleanor Tomlinson (born 1992), English actress
* Eleonore von Habsburg (born 1994), Austrian model
* Eleanor Lee (born 1999), Singaporean actress, singer and model
* Eleanor Worthington Cox (born 2001), English actress

Fictional characters

* Eleanora, principal woman's role in Strindberg's 1901 play ''Easter''
* Ellenore, guest player character portrayed by Marisha Ray in ''L.A. by Night''
* Eleanor, supporting character in the video game ''Rule of Rose''
* Eleanor, supporting character in the video game '' The Walking Dead: A New Frontier''
* Eleanor "Ellie" Arroway, in the 1985 novel ''Contact'' by Carl Sagan
* Elenore Baker, supporting character in the anime ''Madlax''
* Ellie Bishop, in the television series '' NCIS''
* Eleanor Bonneville, a supporting character from the movie ''Jigsaw (2017 film)''
* 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 Douglas, in the 2013 young adult novel ''Eleanor & Park'', written by Rainbow Rowell
* Elanor Gardner, daughter of Samwise Gamgee in J.R.R Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''
* Princess Eleanor Matilda Henstridge, in the television series '' The Royals''
* Eleanor Hume, a main character from the videogame ''Tales of Berseria''
* Eleanor Lamb, one of the main protagonists of '' BioShock 2'' by Irrational Games
* Eleanor Miller, one of the members of the female chipmunk music artist band The Chipettes
* Ellie Nash, in '' Degrassi: The Next Generation''
* Eleanor Oliphant, protagonist of ''Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine''
* Elinor Rabbit, the titular protagonist often accompanied by Olive and Ari in the animated PBS Kids series ''Elinor Wonders Why''
* Eleanor Savage, love interest, therapeutic friend, and conversational other to protagonist Amory Blaine in F. Scott Fitzgerald's ''This Side of Paradise''
* Eleanor Shellstrop, the protagonist of American fantasy sitcom ''The Good Place''
* Queen Elenoir Siegwald, a character in the Filipino Webtoon series '' Mage & Demon Queen''
* Eleanor Tilney, in the 1803 novel ''Northanger Abbey'' by Jane Austen
* Eleanor of Tristain, in the novels and anime ''The Familiar of Zero''
* Elinor Tyrell, handmaid to Margaery Tyrell in the '' A Song of Ice and Fire'' series
* Eleanor “Nell” Vance, in The Haunting of Hill House
* Eleanor Waldorf, mother of a protagonist, Blair Waldorf, in TV series ''Gossip Girl''
* Ellie Woodcomb, in the television series ''Chuck''
* Miss Ellie Ewing Eleanor Southworth Ewing Farlow, the matriarch of the Ewing family in the CBS drama series ''Dallas''
* Queen Elinor, in the Disney/Pixar movie '' Brave''

Music

* "Elenore," a 1968 song by The Turtles.
* "Eleanor Rigby," a 1966 song by The Beatles.
* " Lady Eleanor," a 1971 song by Lindisfarne.
* "Eleanor Put Your Boots On", a 2006 song by Franz Ferdinand.

Animals

* Eleonora cockatoo, a parrot.

Vehicles

* Eleanor (automobile), the vehicle used in ''Gone in 60 Seconds'' ( 1974) as well as the 2000 remake.

See also

*
*
*
*

Notes

References

{{given name

French feminine given names
English feminine given names