Elinor is a spelling of Eleanor, which goes back to the Occitan Aliénor of Eleanor of Aquitaine; its meaning is uncertain and is usually explained as "the other Aenor" or, through association with Helen, as "light". Jane Austen gave the spelling to the sensible Elinor Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility. Elinor peaked at number 1313 in 2021 and ranks number 1502 in 2025, while Eleanor itself sits in the top 20.