| Eleanor | Penelope | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Of uncertain origin, often “light” | Weaver (disputed) |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | EL-uh-ner | peh-NEL-oh-pee |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1920 (8,497) | 2019 (6,734) |
| In 2025 | 7,649 | 6,225 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Eleanor | Penelope |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 41,966 | 37,005 |
| 2010s | 40,129 | 47,614 |
| 2000s | 11,187 | 5,677 |
| 1990s | 4,871 | 795 |
| 1980s | 2,789 | 609 |
| 1970s | 2,750 | 1,750 |
| 1960s | 5,938 | 2,871 |
| 1950s | 11,065 | 4,758 |
| 1940s | 23,761 | 6,383 |
| 1930s | 46,379 | 1,109 |
| 1920s | 74,760 | 562 |
| 1910s | 54,163 | 248 |
| 1900s | 10,030 | 29 |
| 1890s | 4,754 | 36 |
| 1880s | 2,136 | 34 |
A name of debated origin, long associated with the Greek for “light” or “bright.” Borne by medieval queens.
Borne by the faithful wife of Odysseus. The meaning is uncertain: one line derives it from 'pene' ('thread, weft') giving 'weaver', while another ties it to 'penelops', a type of duck or waterfowl. Both readings are considered folk etymologies by some classicists, so the sense is unsettled.
Eleanor is more popular than Penelope today: about 7,649 US babies were given the name Eleanor in 2025, compared with 6,225 named Penelope.
Eleanor means Of uncertain origin, often “light” (Greek origin), while Penelope means Weaver (disputed) (greek origin).
In US records, Eleanor first appears in 1880 and Penelope in 1880, so Eleanor has the longer recorded history.