Eleanor vs Elinor

What do you berries think? They feel very different to me.

What kind of a girl/lady is [name]Eleanor[/name], as compared to [name]Elinor[/name]?

[name]Do[/name] you strongly prefer one over the other?

Thanks for your help!

I love them both and go back and forth over spelling quite a bit, but I feel that [name]Elinor[/name] has a slightly more modern feel than [name]Eleanor[/name]. I tend toward the shorter, more streamlined spellings, like [name]Juliet[/name] over [name]Juliette[/name]. Either way it’s spelled, Elenanor is a gorgeous name!

For me, [name]Elinor[/name] is also the modern version of [name]Eleanor[/name]. But I do prefer [name]Eleanor[/name], the name has so much ā€˜class’ I think! [name]Love[/name] it either way :wink:

Definitely [name]Eleanor[/name] - I lived in [name]Scotland[/name] and [name]Elinor[/name] is Scottish version - lots of dour, pasty-skin people

This is tough! I lean toward [name]Elinor[/name] ([name]Elinor[/name] Dashwood)…I think this spelling has been around long enough to seem ā€œvintageā€ [name]Eleanor[/name]/[name]Elinor[/name] comes for [name]Helen[/name] anyway, so it is both rooted in history. I don’t think [name]Elinor[/name] looks ā€œtoo modernā€ or too made up!

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I think either way you spell it, it’s a gorgeous, vintage name. And personally I feel the [name]Elinor[/name] variation has been around long enough that it still feels vintage to me :slight_smile: Though I must admit that I feel inclined to pronounce the names slightly differently depending on the spelling (even though I know they’re the same name!) But anyway, [name]Eleanor[/name] I’m more inclined to pronounce ā€˜ell-UH-nore’ or ā€˜el-LAH-nore’ and [name]Elinor[/name] I pronounce more like ā€˜ell-IN-ore’ or ā€˜el-[name]LYN[/name]-ore’

Maybe I’m the odd one out, but I find the ā€œ[name]Elinor[/name]ā€ spelling very odd (I actually thought it was a new, made up, funky spelling). However, I think ā€œ[name]Eleanor[/name]ā€ is one of the cool retro names that feels very fresh these days. So, my vote is 100% for [name]Eleanor[/name].

This is my #1 name for a girl, and though I do like the [name]Elinor[/name] spelling (because of the [name]Austen[/name] novel), I prefer [name]Eleanor[/name].

[name]Eleanor[/name] is my ultimate girls name - I think it’s absolutely beautiful, but honestly, I too find [name]Elinor[/name] strange. Something about the way it looks just doesn’t feel right to me, so I’d go with [name]Eleanor[/name], I think it looks classier. Either way, though, it’s a gorgeous name.

[name]Eleanor[/name] is the older spelling taken from the French name [name]Alienor[/name]. It’s dignified, ladylike, gentle and classy. All of the famous Eleanors from the past have used this spelling whether they’re from European royalty ([name]Eleanor[/name] of [name]Aquitaine[/name], [name]Eleanor[/name] of [name]Provence[/name], [name]Eleanor[/name] of Castile etc…) or American royalty ([name]Eleanor[/name] [name]Roosevelt[/name]). [name]Elinor[/name] is a variation of [name]Eleanor[/name] and it’s the more modern creation. I don’t see the appeal other than the literary association. It looks very odd and somewhat unattractive to me. Go with the classic spelling to avoid your daughter having to tell people how to spell her name the rest of her life. Best wishes!

I am still having a very hard time deciding on which [name]Eleanor[/name]/[name]Elinor[/name] spelling to go with. If [name]Eleanor[/name]/[name]Elinor[/name] were my first daughter, I would probably choose the more traditional spelling. Our daughter’s name is [name]Marin[/name] and I feel that [name]Elinor[/name] looks better with [name]Marin[/name]; however, I don’t want to choose a spelling based on my first daughter’s name. I also fear that people will think I ā€œinventedā€ the spelling. Our last name has several a’s and e’s so I’m unsure if the [name]Elinor[/name] spelling would be more appropriate to break apart the vowels. Ugh! It’s driving me crazy! :lol:
Anyone have any opinions?

[name]Marin[/name] and [name]Elinor[/name]
[name]Marin[/name] and [name]Eleanor[/name]

I really love [name]Eleanor[/name] and even though [name]Elinor[/name] has literary chops I feel like [name]Eleanor[/name] is sweeter and more wholesome in looks. I would go with [name]Eleanor[/name]!

Actually, there were a number of medieval royals named [name]Elinor[/name], so the spelling is as old as the French/[name]Norman[/name] [name]Eleanor[/name]. Either way, it’s a terrific name, with so many variations.

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[name]Eleanor[/name]
It seems more authentic. It’s a beautiful name and far more sophisticated than [name]Elinor[/name].

I love both forms. [name]Eleanor[/name] reminds me of [name]Eleanor[/name] [name]Roosevelt[/name] and [name]Eleanor[/name] of [name]Aquitaine[/name], while [name]Elinor[/name] has a more streamlined look. The [name]Jane[/name] [name]Austen[/name] connection is a big selling point, too. I’d like to point out that, in addition to [name]Elinor[/name] Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, [name]Jane[/name] [name]Austen[/name] also created the likeable character [name]Eleanor[/name] Tilney in Northanger [name]Abbey[/name]. So either spelling is [name]Austen[/name]-approved!

I had a similar choice with my daughter’s name: two ā€œacceptableā€ spellings and I liked both of them. I ended up choosing the more common spelling because I thought it would be easier than the many corrections. I also didn’t want to use a y in her name because y is a letter that is currently used by people to jack up perfectly nice names. (elynor, anyone?)

We still have spelling corrections, but they are just weird/out there types.

[name]Eleanor[/name] is my sister’s name, so I’m already biased toward that spelling anyway. However, even though it seems both are as old as the other, [name]Elinor[/name] almost seems a ā€˜lazy’ spelling to me for some reason, perhaps I just don’t like that ā€˜stream-lining’ that pp’s talked about and I view [name]Eleanor[/name] as the more traditional and more widely familiar version in the world of non-namenerds. This is a big reason why I would more often choose to use a more traditionally accepted spelling to make my child’s life easier.

One vote for [name]Elinor[/name]! Like a pp said, I tend to prefer the most scaled-back spelling. I also think it compliments the more modern [name]Marin[/name] better.

Well I’m [name]Eleanor[/name] so I’m very biased. I will say though that I’ve always really loved my name if that’s any recommendation. :smiley:

[name]Just[/name] to clarify the issue of which is the ā€˜older’ spelling we have to put into context the fact that, as a popular medieval name, it was more often said than written. When the name did appear in the records it was often by a semi-literate clerk who spelt it as they heard it.
Several spellings are found from the 13th century including Alianor, [name]Alienor[/name], [name]Eleanora[/name], Elinora and Elyenor. [name]Elinor[/name] came into sustained usage in the 17th century.

The main selling point to [name]Eleanor[/name], as many pps have pointed out, is that it is the most recognisable spelling of the name.

I think you should go for the spelling that aesthetically appeals to you most. Write them both out several times to see which you think looks nicer.

I personally prefer [name]Eleanor[/name], because I always prefer the classic spelling. But with [name]Marin[/name], I’d DEFINITELY go with [name]Elinor[/name]. It just fits a lot better.