Leonore
Feminine
Beethoven wrote one opera and could not leave it alone. It was called Leonore, he revised it twice, wrote four different overtures for it, and it ended up published under the name of the disguise its heroine wears rather than her own. Three of the overtures are still called Leonore.
How old is the name Leonore?
Leonore first appears in US birth records in 1881 — 144 years ago. The typical Leonore alive today was born around 1927, making them about 98 years old. About 700 people named Leonore are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Leonore most popular?
Leonore peaked in 1906, reaching #716 nationally. Today it ranks #11932, 11,216 places below that high. See the whole 1906 chart.
Where it comes from
From Alienor to Leonore
The story of Leonore
The opera is about a woman who disguises herself as a boy, takes work as a prison assistant, and digs the grave meant for her own husband in order to reach him. Beethoven fought with it for a decade. The 1805 version failed, the 1806 revision failed, and the 1814 rewriting succeeded; along the way he produced four overtures, three of which are too large for the theater and are now played as concert pieces called Leonore. The publisher's title, Fidelio, is the false name the heroine uses. As for the name itself, it arrived in Europe with Eleanor of Aquitaine in the twelfth century and has been in constant use since without anyone establishing where it came from.
Meaningscholars disagree
Not established
Eleanor and its shorter forms come from Provencal Alienor, whose origin has never been established. The reading light, from a Greek word, is a later attachment and does not work phonetically. The honest position is that one of the most-used names in medieval Europe has no known meaning.
How the name formed
- Alienor
- Eleanor
- Leonore
Related forms: Leonore · Leonora · Leonor · Eleonore
Pronouncing Leonore
LAY-uh-nor
Three syllables, stress on the first, in German. American speakers often say luh-NOR with two, which is Lenore. Spanish Leonor has the weight at the end, leh-oh-NOR.
Nicknames for Leonore
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1881
- Most girls named
- 191666 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #716reached in 1906
- Change vs 2023
- 0.0%7 in 2025, from 7
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Leonore in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Leonore in German — same name
- Leonora in Italian — same name
- Leonor in Spanish — same name
- Eleonore in French — same name
Leonores among us
people named Leonore are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 229,610 born in 2025 was named Leonore
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Leonore sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Leonore beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Leonore in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- One of the longest continuous records of any European name, whatever its origin.
- Three short forms, all of which are full names in their own right.
- It is recognizable in German, Italian, Spanish and French.
- Leonora, Lenore and Eleanor are all in use and all close.
- There is no established meaning, which matters if the meaning is why you chose it.
- It is strongly represented among the oldest generations and reads clearly as of their time.
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What they receive
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Leonore
Feminine · #11932 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Leonores are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Leonore are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Leonore in 2025?
- Leonore ranks #11932 among US girl names in 2025, with 7 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Leonore?
- About 1 in every 229,610 US girls born in 2025 was named Leonore — 7 in all.
- Will my child share the name Leonore with classmates?
- Leonore will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Leonore
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Vina#11932 · Retta#11932 · Missouri#11932 · Iola#11932 · Eddie#11932 · Thomas#11932 · Louetta#11932 · Elvina#11932
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Leonore? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Leonore and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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