Of Germanic or Greek origin.
From the Occitan name Aliénor.
Possibly associated with the name Aenor, which sources connect with the male Germanic name Anor.
Eleanor is the Old French form of Aliénor and it is associated with the Greek name “Ελένη”, Helenē.
Sources mention that the name may be from the Germanic name with first element “ali”, meaning other, foreign.
It was borne by several women of high nobility in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
Eleanor was the name of American president Franklin Roosevelt.
Alternative forms of the name Eleanora, Eleanore, Eleonora, Elinor, Lenore, Ella, Nora, Ellie, Nelle, Noor, Noreen, Norah, Ellinor, Lore, Norina.
Famous bearers are Eleanor Tomlinson, Eleanor Bron, Eleanor Columbus.
“Eleanor Rigby”, the Beatles song, by Paul McCartney, reached #1 in the UK and Canadian music charts. In Liverpool, England, there is a statue of Eleanor Rigby.