Total births
336,678
Girls' name · since 1880
Eleanor
Eleanor has 336,678 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1920 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #14
- among girls today
- 336,678
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other girls
Eleanor currently ranks #14 among girls' names in America, with 336,678 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Eleanor has been recorded 336,678 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #14 nationally and more common than 99.9% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #14 among girls today
- 336,678 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 99.9% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Eleanor is currently the #14 girls' name in America, more common than 99.9% of girls - 336,678 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #14
- among girls today
- 336,678
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other girls
Eleanor vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#14
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.9% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Eleanor was born in this single decade.
1920
Single peak year
8,497 babies were named Eleanor in 1920 - its busiest year on record.
How Eleanor compares
336,678 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Eleanor's all-time total is 881x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Eleanor | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 336,678 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 8,497 | 48 | 19,840 |
Eleanor's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Eleanor's full recorded timeline at 1953, 35% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 65% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 110 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1920 peak of 8,497 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Eleanor at a glance
Top 100 girls' namePeak year
1920
Current rank
#14
Active since
1880
Eleanor popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 8,497
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Eleanor popularity over time - boys
645 total births recorded since 1906 (Eleanor as boys' name)
Eleanor by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Eleanor's strongest decade.
74,760 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Eleanor births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,136
1880s
2,136 births
- 1890s 4,754
1890s
4,754 births
- 1900s 10,030
1900s
10,030 births
- 1910s
1910s
54,163 births
- 1920s
1920s
74,760 births
- 1930s
1930s
46,379 births
- 1940s 23,761
1940s
23,761 births
- 1950s 11,065
1950s
11,065 births
- 1960s 5,938
1960s
5,938 births
- 1970s 2,750
1970s
2,750 births
- 1980s 2,789
1980s
2,789 births
- 1990s 4,871
1990s
4,871 births
- 2000s 11,187
2000s
11,187 births
- 2010s
2010s
40,129 births
- 2020s
2020s
41,966 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 74,760 births (22% of all-time use).
How Eleanor compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Eleanor's total volume
Eleanor vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Eleanor by state
Where Eleanor concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 37,261 | 11.1% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 33,418 | 9.9% |
| #3 | Massachusetts | | 18,881 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 18,364 | 5.5% |
| #5 | California | | 17,781 | 5.3% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 15,633 | 4.6% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 14,067 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 13,226 | 3.9% |
New York share of Eleanor's total US births 11.1%
Even split
37,261 of 336,678 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Eleanor appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Eleanor? ▼
Eleanor has been given to 336,678 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #14 as of the latest data. 8,497 babies were born in 1920, its single highest year.
When was Eleanor most popular? ▼
Eleanor was most popular in the 1920s decade with 74,760 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Eleanor most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Eleanor are New York (37,261 births), Pennsylvania (33,418 births), Massachusetts (18,881 births).
How long has the name Eleanor been used? ▼
Eleanor has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Eleanor? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Elena, Eleanore, Eleanora, Eleni, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Eleanor's data
- Eleanor's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (74,760 total births) through the 2020s (41,966) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Eleanors (37,261 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Eleanor
Nearby Names Like Eleanor
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Eleanor
Elena Girl
#46 108,013 births
Eleanore Girl
#1510 18,724 births
Eleanora Girl
#887 8,322 births
Eleni Girl
#1005 6,822 births
Elenora Girl
#4775 3,661 births
Compare Eleanor side by side: Eleanor vs Elena Eleanor vs Eleanore Eleanor vs Eleanora
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Eleanor
Luna #13
87,715 births · Peak 2022
Violet #15
185,561 births · Peak 2025
Harper #12
139,063 births · Peak 2016
Aurora #16
99,113 births · Peak 2025
Camila #11
123,854 births · Peak 2020
Elizabeth #17
1,688,757 births · Peak 1990
Sofia #10
186,744 births · Peak 2015
Eliana #18
76,104 births · Peak 2025
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Eleanor: #14 Girls' Name - 336,678 Births, Peak 1920." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/eleanor. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Eleanor draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.