Eleanor

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ORIGIN AND HISTORY

Eleanor, as an English name, was brought to England from France by Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122/23-March 31, 1204) in the 12th century. Her first husband was Louis VII of France, but that marriage ended in divorce, ostensibly because of her failure to produce a male heir, but the real reason was probably her involvement in the Second Crusade. Louis’ objective in the crusade was to recapture Jerusalem, but Eleanor sided with her uncle, Raymond of Toulouse, who wanted to recapture Edessa, and for this, Louis had her imprisoned. In the end, he was able to obtain a divorce on account of the fact that they were third cousins. They were married from July 25, 1137 to March 21, 1152.

On May 18, 1152, Eleanor married Henry II, future King of England, and bore him two sons, Richard the Lionhearted and John, both of whom eventually became kings.

Eleanor is a strictly feminine name from:

• French form of the Provençal name Alienor. Eleanor of Aquitaine was named Aenor after her mother, but in order to distinguish her from her mother, she was called alia Aenor, “the other Aenor.”
• From the Greek elos, meaning “shining light” or “compassion.”
• Most experts say it’s a variant of Helen, but some say it’s of Germanic derivation, meaning “other” or “foreign.”

POPULARITY

Eleanor has been a popular name, ranking in the top 1000 girls’ names in the United States throughout the 20th century and into the 21st.

• Year and rank:
  • 1900 – 72
  • 1910 – 31
  • 1920 – 30
  • 1930 – 46
  • 1940 – 120
  • 1950 – 249
  • 1960 – 388
  • 1970 – 600
  • 1980 – 657
  • 1990 – 598
  • 2000 – 374
  • 2006 – 277

FACTS

• According to the science of numerology, people named Eleanor can be quite eccentric and are often lost in thought. They tend to be very spiritual.
• The name Eleanor appears in two Shakespeare plays: Queen Eleanor in King John, and Dame Eleanor Cobham in Henry VI (2).
• Eleanor is a character in the cartoon, The Critic.
• Eleanor Dunton is a character in Steven King’s novels, It and The Eyes of the Dragon.
• "Eleanor Rigby" is a song by the Beatles.
• Eleanor is a custom Ford Mustang.

Eleanor in other languages:

• Dutch: Ellen
• Finnish: Eleonoora, Elli, Noora
• French: Eléonore
• German: Eleonora, Eleonore, Hannelore, Leonore, Lore, Nora
• Irish: Eileanóra, Noírín, Nora, Norah
• Italian: Eleonora, Leonora, Lora
• Polish: Eleonora
• Portuguese: Leonor
• Scandinavian: Ellinor, Nora
• Scottish: Eilidh
• Spanish: Leonor

NAMESAKES

• You can visit Eleanor, West Virginia.
• Eleanor is a variety of rose.

FAMOUS PERSONS

• Eleanor Boardman (1898-1991) – silent film actress, has star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures.
• Eleanor Estes (May 9, 1906-July 15, 1988) – children’s author of some 20 books, 1952 Newberry Medal winner for Ginger Pye.
• Eleanor Gehrig (1905-Mar. 6, 1984) – wife of Lou Gehrig.
• Eleanor J. Gibson (Dec. 7, 1910-Dec. 30, 2002) – psychologist, winner of 1992 National Medal of Science.
• Eleanor Holm (Dec. 6, 1913-Jan. 31, 2004) – 1932 Olympic swimming gold medal winner for 100m backstroke.
• (Anna) Eleanor Roosevelt (Oct. 11, 1884-Nov. 7, 1962) – author, lecturer, social activist, member of Naional Women’s Hall of Fame, First Lady as wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, niece of President Theodore Roosevelt.

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NOTES

<http://www.birthvillage.com/index.php/>
<http://www.babynamesfamily.com/search.html/>
<http://www.classic-recreations.com/>
<http://www.searchforancestors.com/surnames/origin/>
<http://www.thinkbabynames.com/>
<http://eleanorwv.20m.com/>

OTHER ELEANOR'S

Eleanor Aaberg, Eleanor Aanonsen, Eleanor Austin, Eleanor Mae, Eleanor Aamodt, Eleanor Aanensen, Eleanor Aanenson, Eleanor Aarchuleta, Eleanor Aaron, Eleanor Aarrestad, Eleanor Aarts, Eleanor Aas, Eleanor Aasand, Eleanor Abad, Eleanor Abadajos, Eleanor Abadia, Eleanor Abadie, Eleanor Abajian, Eleanor Abalos, Eleanor Abara, Eleanor Abarca, Eleanor Abarno, Eleanor Abarquez, Eleanor Abate, Eleanor Abatemarco, Eleanor Asplim, Eleanor Aust, Eleanor Austad, Eleanor Aberegg, Eleanor Aberle, Eleanor Abernathy, Eleanor Abernethy, Eleanor Abert, Eleanor Aberth, Eleanor Aberton, Eleanor Abes, Eleanor Abeyta, Eleanor Abeytia, Eleanor Abfalter, Eleanor Abiera, Eleanor Abille, Eleanor Abisi, Eleanor Abitz, Eleanor Abiuso, Eleanor Abiva, Eleanor Ablaza, Eleanor Able, Eleanor Ables, Eleanor Ablett, Eleanor Ablola, More results

Author: Madeleine Wieder