Eleanor is a moderately popular girls' name in United States, ranking #490 in 1996 with 487 recorded births. The name reached its all-time peak in 2025 with 7,649 births ranking #12. In 1996, approximately 1 in every 3,600 girls born was named Eleanor. RISING Recent data shows the name is currently rising.
Eleanor is a major classic with a very strong historical route but an uncertain earliest literal meaning. The safest accurate description is to focus on its medieval Occitan and Old French history rather than repeat unsupported 'light' glosses.
Behind the Name traces Eleanor to the Old French form of Occitan Alienor and notes the importance of Eleanor of Aquitaine in spreading it. That makes the history secure, even though the oldest underlying explanation is still debated.