Lenora is a short form of Leonora and Eleanora, and so goes back to Eleanor, a name of uncertain origin that is usually explained as "light" via Helen or as "the other Aenor" after the mother of Eleanor of Aquitaine. It was a fashionable name around 1900 and fits the current revival of vintage girls' names. In the United States Lenora ranked number 3102 in 2000, re-entered the top 1000 in 2022 and reaches number 539 among girls' names in 2025, its best rank in this century.