girls' name ★ peaked 1920

Eleanor

Meaning other Gender Girl Rank 2025 #12 Trend ↑ Rising 22%

The first known bearer was Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204), Provençal Aliénor, perhaps from Latin alia (“other”) and her mother's name Aenor, its meaning thereby said…

Rank 2025
#12
among girls · ↑2 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
7,654
named Eleanor · +7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 210
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1920
8,507 babies
All-time total
337,323
#112 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Eleanor popularity over time

337,323 babies have been named Eleanor since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 2,136 – 2,136 214 – #114
1890s 4,754 – 4,754 475 +123% #94
1900s 10,030 14 10,044 1,004 +111% #57
1910s 54,163 95 54,258 5,426 +440% #26
1920s 74,760 204 74,964 7,496 +38% #25
1930s 46,379 193 46,572 4,657 -38% #38
1940s 23,761 76 23,837 2,384 -49% #68
1950s 11,065 7 11,072 1,107 -54% #199
1960s 5,938 – 5,938 594 -46% #328
1970s 2,750 – 2,750 275 -54% #522
1980s 2,789 7 2,796 280 +2% #600
1990s 4,871 – 4,871 487 +74% #386
2000s 11,187 5 11,192 1,119 +130% #218
2010s 40,129 12 40,141 4,014 +259% #27
2020s (to 2025) 41,966 32 41,998 7,000 +74% #12

Where Eleanor is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 7,924 4.93 #11
2027 8,165 5.08 #11
2028 8,375 5.21 #9
2029 8,559 5.32 #9
2030 8,718 5.42 #9

Where Eleanor is most popular

Girls named Eleanor per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 4.39 per 1,000. Strongest in Vermont, Wyoming, and Alaska.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Eleanor born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Vermont 106 21.9 +399%
Wyoming 63 14.8 +237%
Alaska 118 13.7 +212%
Maine 204 13.2 +201%
District of Columbia 140 11.8 +169%
New Hampshire 211 11.4 +161%
Montana 151 11.2 +154%
North Dakota 131 9.97 +127%
Nebraska 338 9.40 +114%
Missouri 1,118 9.28 +111%
Wisconsin 935 9.08 +107%
Kansas 521 9.03 +106%
Iowa 525 8.98 +105%
Indiana 1,238 8.82 +101%
South Dakota 125 8.76 +100%
Rhode Island 109 8.71 +98%
Minnesota 905 8.39 +91%
Idaho 279 8.34 +90%
Oregon 506 7.77 +77%
Kentucky 651 7.61 +74%
Oklahoma 550 7.47 +70%
Arkansas 387 7.32 +67%
Utah 609 7.32 +67%
West Virginia 191 7.29 +66%
Ohio 1,714 7.22 +65%
Michigan 1,309 7.19 +64%
Washington 1,027 7.11 +62%
Tennessee 1,094 6.91 +57%
Virginia 1,166 6.84 +56%
Colorado 741 6.64 +51%
Alabama 604 6.43 +47%
South Carolina 578 6.43 +47%
Massachusetts 774 6.40 +46%
North Carolina 1,453 6.38 +45%
Illinois 1,383 6.04 +38%
Delaware 68 5.99 +37%
Connecticut 348 5.98 +36%
Louisiana 500 5.71 +30%
Hawaii 62 5.41 +23%
Maryland 559 5.28 +20%
Mississippi 234 5.00 +14%
Pennsylvania 1,157 4.89 +12%
Georgia 1,080 4.75 +8%
New Mexico 107 4.40 ≈ national
Nevada 203 4.37 ≈ national
Texas 3,037 3.78 -14%
Arizona 526 3.75 -15%
New York 1,372 3.46 -21%
Florida 1,397 3.26 -26%
California 2,464 2.93 -33%
New Jersey 519 2.88 -34%

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Eleanor

Eleanor is a top-50 name for girls in the United States, ranked #12 in 2025 with 7,649 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 337,323 American babies have been named Eleanor. Its peak came in 1920, when 8,507 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Eleanor stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Eleanor?

The median living Eleanor is about 12 years old; half are between 5 and 68. An estimated 147 thousand people named Eleanor are alive in the United States today.

median 12 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Eleanor year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 7,649 #12 5 #12,559
2024 7,147 #14 10 #7,924
2023 6,765 #14 6 #11,224
2022 6,927 #16 6 #11,258
2021 7,099 #15 5 #12,677
2020 6,379 #22 – –
2019 6,198 #27 7 #10,036
2018 5,728 #32 5 #12,702
2017 5,549 #36 – –
2016 5,140 #41 – –
2015 4,442 #60 – –
2014 3,740 #78 – –
2013 3,013 #106 – –
2012 2,383 #134 – –
2011 2,085 #150 – –
2010 1,851 #166 – –
2009 1,486 #218 5 #13,026
2008 1,343 #255 – –
2007 1,272 #266 – –
2006 1,221 #270 – –
2005 1,237 #264 – –
2004 1,063 #301 – –
2003 1,007 #308 – –
2002 961 #319 – –
2001 826 #359 – –
2000 771 #375 – –
1995 437 #544 – –
1990 378 #599 – –
1985 270 #670 – –
1980 258 #677 – –
1975 234 #650 – –
1970 366 #522 – –
1965 603 #372 – –
1960 825 #328 – –
1955 1,043 #257 – –
1950 1,371 #199 – –
1945 1,876 #130 – –
1940 3,584 #68 22 #1,443
1935 4,166 #48 21 #1,505
1930 5,823 #39 26 #1,439
1925 7,724 #31 19 #1,825
1920 8,497 #25 10 #2,824
1915 7,036 #28 15 #1,900
1910 1,798 #55 5 #1,663
1905 1,041 #73 – –
1900 753 #88 – –
1895 544 #98 – –
1890 351 #117 – –
1885 222 #119 – –
1880 129 #127 – –

Famous people named Eleanor

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt American diplomat and activist (1884–1962) 19th century
  2. 2 Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen of France (1137–52) and England (1154–89); Duchess of Aquitaine (1137–1204) 1122–1204 · Medieval
  3. 3 Eleanor Parker Eleanor Parker American actress (1922–2013) Contemporary
  4. 4 Eleanor of Castile Eleanor of Castile Queen of England from 1272 to 1290 1241–1290 · Medieval
  5. 5 Eleanor Marx Eleanor Marx English writer and translator (1855–1898) 19th century
  6. 6 Eleanor of Provence Eleanor of Provence Queen of England from 1236 to 1272 1223–1291 · Medieval
  7. 7 Eleanor of Austria Eleanor of Austria Queen of Portugal (1518–1521) and France (1530–1547) 1498–1558 · Medieval
  8. 8 Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile Queen of Castile and Toledo from 1170 to 1214 1162–1214 · Medieval
  9. 9 Eleanor of Toledo Eleanor of Toledo Duchess consort of Florence 1522–1562 · 16th century
  10. 10 Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany Claimant to English and Breton succession (died 1241) 1182–1241 · Medieval
  11. 11 Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress Eleanor of Portugal, Holy Roman Empress Holy Roman Empress from 1452 to 1467 1434–1467 · Medieval
  12. 12 Eleanor of Navarre Eleanor of Navarre Queen of Navarre in 1479 1426–1479 · Medieval
  13. 13 Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Portugal Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Portugal Queen of Portugal from 1433 to 1438 1402–1445 · Medieval
  14. 14 Eleanor of Woodstock Eleanor of Woodstock Duchess of Guelders from 1332 to 1343 1318–1355 · Medieval
  15. 15 Eleanor of Alburquerque Eleanor of Alburquerque Queen of Aragon from 1412 to 1416 1374–1435 · Medieval
  16. 16 Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Castile Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Castile Queen of Castile and León from 1379 to 1382 1358–1382 · Medieval
  17. 17 Eleanor de Guzmán Eleanor de Guzmán Castilian noblewoman and long-term mistress to Alfonso XI of Castile 1310–1351 · Medieval
  18. 18 Eleanor H. Porter Eleanor H. Porter American novelist known for writing Pollyanna and Just David 1868–1920 · 19th century
  19. 19 Eleanor de' Medici Eleanor de' Medici Duchess of Mantua 1567–1611 · 16th century
  20. 20 Eleanor of Viseu Eleanor of Viseu Queen of Portugal from 1481 to 1495 1458–1525 · Medieval

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Eleanor, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Eleanor?

The median living Eleanor is about 12 years old. Half of all living Eleanors are between 5 and 68 years old.

How many people named Eleanor are alive today?

An estimated 147 thousand people named Eleanor are alive in the United States, based on 337,323 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Eleanor mean?

The first known bearer was Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204), Provençal Aliénor, perhaps from Latin alia (“other”) and her mother's name Aenor, its meaning thereby said to be “the other Aenor”.

How popular is the name Eleanor in 2025?

Eleanor ranked #12 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 7,649 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Eleanor?

337,323 babies have been named Eleanor in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Eleanor most popular?

Eleanor peaked in 1920, when 8,507 newborns received the name.

Is Eleanor a boy or girl name?

Eleanor is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Eleanor rising or falling?

Eleanor is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Eleanor become more popular?

Eleanor is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 8,718 girls named Eleanor in 2030, which would rank around #9. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Eleanor?

Well-known people named Eleanor include Eleanor Roosevelt (social activist), Eleanor of Aquitaine (nobleman), Eleanor Parker (actor).

Names like Eleanor

Names that sound and feel close to Eleanor: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Eleanor with similar names → More names starting with E →