Nicknames for Eleanor
31 ideas for Eleanor — the short forms people actually use, plus cute, funny and gamer versions. Copy any of them in one click.
- Ellie the dominant modern short form
- Nell the traditional English clip
- Nellie the affectionate form of Nell
- Nora the old back clip, now a name itself
- Elle the sleek modern minimum
- Leni the German short form
- El the tightest clip
- Ells the friend version
- Nelly the y spelling of Nellie
- Éléonore the French form
- Leonor the Spanish and Portuguese form
- Eleonora the Italian and Polish form
- Eleonore the German form
- Alienor the Occitan original
- Leonora the operatic Italian form
- Lenka the Czech affectionate form
- Nora-Bear the usual affectionate pattern
- Ellie-Bug family pet name
- Eleanor-Rose the standard compound
- Elinor the Austen spelling
- E initial only, in group chats
- Nellie-Bell the rhyming family extension
- Rigby the Beatles joke, made once and remembered
- Roosevelt the compliment disguised as a joke
- Aquitaine mock-grand, and historically fair
- Elea Eleanor, cut where people naturally stop saying it.
- Electric Eleanor Shares the "E" sound with Eleanor.
- Elaine A short form people genuinely use for Eleanor.
- Ellen A short form people genuinely use for Eleanor.
- Lanna A short form people genuinely use for Eleanor.
- Lenora A short form people genuinely use for Eleanor.
About the name Eleanor.
Eleanor of Aquitaine was queen of France, then queen of England, mother of two kings, and a landowner in her own right at a time when that was nearly impossible. She brought the name to England in 1152. It came from the Occitan Alienor, whose origin is disputed; the old story that it means the other Aenor, after her mother, is charming but probably a later invention. Eight centuries afterwards an American first lady rebuilt the name's reputation around public service. It slid to almost nothing by the 1980s and has since become one of the most successful revivals in the United States, back inside the top twenty.
Three syllables that sound weighty without sounding heavy, and a final r that gives a firm landing. This is one of the very few girls' names with a genuinely large nickname set, which means a single Eleanor can present as Nell, Ellie, Elle or Nora depending on the room she is in.
Most popular around 2020. Based on US birth records.
- Origin
- Occitan
- Meaning
- uncertain
- Syllables
- El·ea·nor
- Used as
- a girls’ name
Eleanor around the world.
These are the real forms Eleanor takes in other languages, which often make excellent nicknames in their own right.
-
Éléonore
French
-
Leonor
Spanish
-
Eleonora
Italian
-
Eleonore
German
-
Alienor
Occitan
Famous people called Eleanor.
-
Eleanor Roosevelt
American first lady and diplomat
-
Eleanor of Aquitaine
medieval queen of two kingdoms
-
Eleanor Catton
New Zealand Booker Prize novelist
Questions about the name Eleanor
What can Eleanor be shortened to? +
More than almost any other name. Ellie is the modern default. Nell and Nellie are the historical ones and are coming back. Elle is the sleek option, Nora is a full name in its own right, and Leni and Norie appear in some families.
Eleanor, Elinor or Eleanora? +
Eleanor is the standard modern spelling. Elinor is the older English form, used by Jane Austen for the elder Dashwood sister. Eleanora and Leonora are Italian expansions. Leonor is the Spanish and Portuguese form and belongs to the current Spanish heir.
What does Eleanor mean? +
Nobody is certain. The Occitan Alienor has no agreed source, and the popular gloss of shining light comes from confusion with Helen, a different name entirely. Honest reference works list the meaning as unknown, which is unusual for a name this prominent.
Is Eleanor too formal for a child? +
It reads formal on paper, which is precisely why the nickname set matters. In practice a small Eleanor is usually a Nell or an Ellie, and the full name waits in reserve for adulthood, job applications and anyone who has annoyed her.