UK girl's name
Elanor
A flower name derived from Tolkien's fictional language Sindarin.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Elanor is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Elanor popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2574, with 10 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2003, with 23 births.
This profile covers 316 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 43% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 317 living people in the UK are called Elanor. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Elanor ranked #2574 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 10 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2003, when 23 girls were registered as Elanor.
- • Elanor ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #687 in 2005.
- • About 317 living people in the UK are estimated to have Elanor as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2574
2024
Births in 2024
10
Latest year
Peak year
2003
23 births
Estimated living
317
2026
Meaning
What does Elanor mean?
The name Elanor is an English feminine given name that originates from the fictional universe of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It is a Sindarin Elvish name meaning "Sun-star" or "Giver of Stars". The name first appeared in Tolkien's literary works, specifically in the novel The Lord of the Rings, published in the 1950s.
Elanor was the name given to a golden flower that bloomed in the woods of Lothlorien, the realm of the Elven queen Galadriel. The flower was said to have been created by the Elven lady Varda, the Queen of the Stars, and was thus named Elanor, meaning "Sun-star" or "Giver of Stars" in Sindarin Elvish.
While the name Elanor has its origins in Tolkien's fictional works, it has since been adopted as a given name in the real world. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name being used was in 1968, when the daughter of the American science fiction author Marion Zimmer Bradley was named Elanor.
Other notable individuals who have borne the name Elanor include Elanor Burkett (born 1964), an American author and journalist, and Elanor Dymott (born 1984), an English novelist and short story writer.
Additionally, there have been several fictional characters named Elanor, such as Elanor Gamgee, the daughter of Samwise Gamgee and Rosie Cotton in Tolkien's works, and Elanor Gilmore, a character in the television series Gilmore Girls.
While the name Elanor is relatively uncommon, it has gained popularity among fans of Tolkien's literary works and those drawn to its unique meaning and connection to the fantasy world of Middle-earth.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Elanor over time
The chart below shows babies named Elanor registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Elanor, the clearest high point is 2003. The latest England and Wales figure is 10 births in 2024, compared with 23 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elanor by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Elanor was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #2941 | 41 | 5 |
| 2010s | #3137 | 74 | 9 |
| 2000s | #1686 | 140 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1246 | 61 | 4 |
Geography
Where Elanor is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Elanor. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Elanor ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #687 in 2005.
Across the UK
Elanor in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#687 in 2005
1 years of NRS records, 3 total registered
Related
Names similar to Elanor
- Emily 121,621
- Ella 69,101
- Ellie 63,522
- Evie 52,944
- Emma 50,755
- Eleanor 40,576
- Elizabeth 39,225
- Erin 34,816
- Eva 29,738
- Evelyn 26,911
- Elsie 23,671
- Emilia 22,167
FAQ
Elanor: questions and answers
How popular is the name Elanor in the UK right now?
In 2024, Elanor was ranked #2574 for girls in England and Wales, with 10 births registered.
When was Elanor most popular?
The peak year on record was 2003, with 23 babies registered as Elanor in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Elanor?
A flower name derived from Tolkien's fictional language Sindarin.
How many people are called Elanor in the UK?
A total of 316 babies have been registered as Elanor across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 3 more in Scotland.
Where is Elanor most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Elanor ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #687 in 2005. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.