Eleanor

A Dictionary of First Names | 2006 | 636 words | Copyright

Eleanor ♀ From an Old French respelling of the Old Provençal name Alienor. This has sometimes been taken as a derivative of Helen, but it is more probably of Germanic derivation (the first element being ali ‘other, foreign’ the second is obscure). The name was introduced to England by Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122–1204), who came from Aquitaine in south-west France to be the wife of King Henry II. It was also borne by Eleanor of Provence, the wife of Henry III, and Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I.

Variants: Ellenor, Elinor. Elenor.
short forms: Nell, Ellen.
pet forms: Nellie, Nelly.

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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Eleanor." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 12 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Eleanor." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 12, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Eleanor.html

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Eleanor." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 12, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Eleanor.html

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