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“Variant of Eleanor — The other Aenor (from Latin alia); root sense riches and fame” — Old Provencal/Latin, ultimately Germanic; Arabic light also suggested origin
Girl's name · #1502 in the US (2025) · Comeback
Elinor was #252 in 1916, slipped to #5701 by 1973, and has climbed back to #1502 today. About 22,000 girls have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.
Around the world: about 1 in 2,000 girls in Norway (2025) · about 1 in 5,700 girls in Switzerland (2024) · about 1 in 8,900 girls in Austria (2025).
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 19 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
Among 147 notable people named Elinor:
Artists & writers appear 1.8× more often than among typical names — e.g. Elinor Glyn, British novelist and scriptwriter (1864-1943).
Similar names: Eleanore · Fern · Elina · Viola · Estelle · Honor
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