Leonor

Meaning of Leonor

Leonor is the streamlined Spanish-Portuguese form of Eleanor, a medieval name that likely traces back to the Provençal Aliénor and, further still, to the Greek root for “compassion” or the Latin phrase for “foreign light”—scholars continue to spar over the finer points. Either way, Leonor has long been a fixture in Iberian royal houses, most recently worn by Princess Leonor of Spain, giving the name an understated blue-blood polish without the brocade. In the United States, its use has been steady but restrained; census charts show Leonor hovering in the 500-900 band for more than a century, with a quiet uptick to rank 857 in 2024—not exactly a stampede, yet proof of enduring appeal. English speakers tend to say lee-uh-NOR, while Spanish speakers favor leh-oh-NOR, but both pronunciations preserve the lilting cadence that sets Leonor apart from the more familiar Eleanor and Lenore. For parents after something classic yet slightly off the beaten Anglo path, Leonor offers a genial compromise between tradition and individuality—with just enough regal gravitas to keep its feet on the ground.