Eleanor goes back to the Occitan Aliénor, the name of Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of both France and England in the 12th century; its meaning is uncertain, usually given as "the other Aenor" or, through Helen, "bright" or "shining light". Eleanor Roosevelt gave it a strong American profile. The name was at number 375 in 2000, reached the top 100 in 2014 and sits at number twelve in 2025, its highest rank in a century.