Eleanor

Eleanor f. Of uncertain origin. The name of Eleanor of Aquitaine, known as Provençal as Alienor, is often explained as Latin alia 'other' + Aenor, the name of her mother, but as there are possibly examples which pre-date her, this cannot be the complete story.

Though the names are unrelated, Ellen over time came to be considered a variant or a pet form of Eleanor.

England

Latin: ● 1194 Alienora (nom) RotCur-vol1 p. 3, Alienore (dat) ibid. p. 4; 1296 Alianora (nom) RCS-1 p. 95b, Alianore (gen) ibid. p. 93a; 1340xc1450 Alianora (nom) CovGuild-1 p. 5, Alienora (nom) ibid. p. 29, Elienora (nom) ibid. p. 28, Elionoria (nom) ibid. p. 95; 1379 Elianora (nom) WRYPT1 p. 6; 1381 Alianora (nom) FenPT-2 p. 9, Elenor (nom) Suffolk1381 p. 116; 1425 Elianore (abl) EEW p. 66; 1436 Elenoræ (dat) WillsInv LVIII; 1538/9 Elenora (nom) SA12 p. 1; 1539 Elenora (nom) ibid. p. 2
Middle English: ● 1395 Alianore EEW p. 5, Alienore ibid. p. 6; 1418 Elyanore ibid. p. 31; 1425 Elianor ibid. p. 65; 1426 Alienore ibid. p. 70; 1431 Alionore ibid. p. 90
Early Modern English: ● 1485 Aleanor WillsInv LXIX; 1511 Alianore OrpingtonKe p. 75; 1516 Elianor WillsInv LXXV; 1530 Helioner LIWill-III p. 35; 1534 Elynor CovGuild-2 p. 126; 1539 Elynor BarnstapleBap p. 1; 1540 Elnor ibid. p. 1, Elyner ibid. p. 1, Elynor ibid. p. 2; 1542 Elnor ibid. p. 3; 1543 Elener HAmar-vol9 p. 2, Elenor BarnstapleBap p. 3, Elinor StNick-Sf p. 1, Elnor BarnstapleBap p. 3, Elynor ibid. p. 3; 1544 Elynor ibid. p. 4; 1547 Elnor ibid. p. 5, Elnore ibid. p. 5; 1548/9 Elenor ExMar 2a; 1551 Elynor BarnstapleBap p. 7; 1552 Elnor ibid. p. 7; 1553 Elynor ibid. p. 8; 1554 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 26; 1555 Eleonara HAmar-vol9 p. 2, Elynor BarnstapleBap p. 9; 1556 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 28, Elnor BarnstapleBap p. 9; 1557 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 28; 1558 Eleanor SaxhamSf p. 130, Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 109, Elnor RegSASel p. 2; 1558/9 Elnor ibid. p. 4; 1559 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 110, Elnor RegSASel p. 4; 1560 Elnor COmar-vol5 p. 2, Elynor BarnstapleBap p. 10; 1561 Elnore BEmar-vol2 p. 68; 1562 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 32, Elinor COmar-vol5 p. 2, Elnor BarnstapleBap p. 12, Elynor ibid. p. 12; 1563 Elenor COmar-vol5 p. 83, bruton-vol1 p. 33, Elnor COmar-vol5 p. 3; 1564 Elnor BarnstapleBap p. 13; 1565 Elinor RegBisham p. 2, Ellinor OrpingtonKe p. 2, Elnor BarnstapleBap p. 13; 1566 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 36, Ellnor DEmar-vol1 p. 81, Elynora HAmar-vol9 p. 2; 1567 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 5; 1567/8 Elnor BEmar-vol2 p. 2; 1568 Eleanor bruton-vol1 p. 112, Elnor BEmar-vol1 p. 8; 1569 Eleanor BUmar-vol9 p. 5, Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 5, Ellinor OrpingtonKe p. 3, Ellnor HAmar-vol9 p. 116; 1570 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 39, Ellemor BEmar-vol2 p. 54, Ellinor OrpingtonKe p. 3, Elnor BEmar-vol2 p. 2; 1571 Elinor RegBath p. 2; 1573 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 40, Eleoner COmar-vol2 p. 121; 1575 Elnor RegBath p. 3; 1576 Elner COmar-vol5 p. 5, HAmar-vol9 p. 68; 1577 Elnor BUmar-vol2 p. 62; 1578 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 43, Ellinor RegBisham p. 4; 1579 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 44, Ellinor RegBisham p. 4; 1580 Elianor WAmar-1 p. 131; 1581 Eliner BEmar-vol2 p. 130; 1581? Eliner COmar-vol5 p. 127; 1581 Ellinor RegBisham p. 4; 1582 Eleanor DEmar-vol2 p. 7, Elenor BUmar-vol2 p. 63, Ellenor StAnthonlin p. 29, Ellinor RegBisham p. 4; 1583 Eleanor DEmar-vol2 p. 9, Ellinor BEmar-vol2 p. 30; 1583/4 Ellnor BEmar-vol1 p. 11; 1585 Eleanor DEmar-vol2 p. 11, Elinor BEmar-vol2 p. 96, Ellinor RegBisham p. 5; 1586 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 47, Elioner HAmar-vol9 p. 79, Ellnor DEmar-vol1 p. 85; 1587 Eleanor DEmar-vol2 p. 14, Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 8, Ellinor RegBisham p. 5, Elyner BEmar-vol2 p. 31; 1588 Ellynor COmar-vol5 p. 128, Elnora BUmar-vol2 p. 64, Elynor COmar-vol5 p. 8; 1589 Eleanor DEmar-vol2 p. 17, Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 49, Ellinor RegBisham p. 5, Ellyner BEmar-vol2 p. 31; 1590 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 9; 1590/1 Ellinor RegFord p. 1; 1590 Elynor COmar-vol5 p. 9; 1591 Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 10, Ellinor RegBisham p. 5, Elnor COmar-vol5 p. 86; 1592 Elemar StAnthonlin p. 35, Elenor DEmar-vol1 p. 86; 1592/3 Ellioner RegFord p. 2; 1593 Eleanor DEmar-vol2 p. 26, Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 52, Ellioner RegFord p. 2; 1594 Ellinor ibid. p. 2; 1594/5 Ellioner ibid. p. 2; 1595 Elinor COmar-vol5 p. 10, Elliner BEmar-vol1 p. 16; 1596/7 Elinor RegBisham p. 6; 1596 Ellinor RegFord p. 3, Elner BUmar-vol1 p. 27; 1597 Eleanor DEmar-vol2 p. 34, Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 56; 1598 Elenar StAnthonlin p. 39, Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 56; 1599 Eleanor DEmar-vol2 p. 40, Elenor bruton-vol1 p. 11, Elinor BUmar-vol2 p. 142, Ellinor OrpingtonKe p. 9

France

Latin: ● 1141 Alienorde (abl) CartNDSaintes VII; 1146 Alienorde (abl) ibid. VIII, Alienordis (nom) ibid. VIII; 1153 Alienorde (abl) ibid. IX, Alienordis (nom) ibid. IX; 1167 Alienordis (nom) ibid. X; 1378 Alienore (dat) hanquetvol1 597
Middle French: ● 1386 Alienor MemBret-II col. 513

Italy

Latin: ● 1527 Eleonora (nom) Rome1527 p. 88

The Netherlands

Dutch: ● 1580 Elionor MagMiddelburg-1560; 1581 Elionor ibid.; 1582 Elionor ibid.

Portugal

Latin: ● 1217 Eleonor (abl) PHGCRP-I no. 21, alionor (nom) ibid. no. 21; 1221 Lianor (nom) ibid. no. 19

Spain

Latin: ● 1487 Elionor (nom) carbonell-I p. 11; 1488 Elionor (nom) ibid. p. 16; 1489 Elionor (nom) ibid. p. 29, Elionoris (gen) ibid. p. 34; 1490 Elionor (nom) ibid. p. 40; 1491 Elionor (nom) ibid. p. 52; 1492 Elionor (nom) ibid. p. 66
Catalan: ● 1510 Elionor valencia1510 3222
Spanish: ● 1575 Leonor Catalogo-5.2 3805; 1576 Leonor ibid. 3877

Wales

Latin: ● 1497 Alinor (nom) ArchCambIII p. 108
Early Modern English: ● 1592 Elinor RegLlantrithyd p. 62

Cite as: J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Eleanor". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2018, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2018/1/name/Eleanor.