Historic names: Eleanor

I'm a history buff. So I thought it would be cool to start a series on the blog for historic names! Today, I'm going to convince you to love Eleanor. :)

 

Anyways, Documentaries are my absolute favorite, and I caught the seven part mini series about the Roosevelt family the other night on TV. I loved every informative second of it. The best thing about it was that it made me appreciate the integrity and the activism of one of the most adored First Ladies in history: Eleanor Roosevelt.

 

Her full name was Anna Eleanor, and she obviously went by her middle name. To give you a brief rundown on her past, she had a rough childhood and battled bouts of depression her whole life for it. She was educated in London, and in 1905 she married her distant cousin, Franklin Roosevelt. Of course, he was elected president in 1933 and served until his death in 1945, and throughout those years, Eleanor used her elevated position to attempt to achieve her own personal goals.

 

The reason I admire this woman so much, is because she did what she felt was right, despite being urged against that, for her husband's career's sake. She was an active supporter of the Civil Rights movement, and for her time, she did things that women weren't "supposed" to do, like hold "women only" press conferences, just as her husband held "men only" press conferences. Eleanor realized that she had a kind of power that no other woman in the United States even came close to having, and she utilized it. Even after her years as First Lady, she was still very active in politics, up until the day she died.

 

A picture of the heroine herself

 

 

So, if I haven't convinced you yet by simply inspiring you by the name, here are the aesthetic values of this name:

 

It's easy to say, and spell. It's a pretty classic, recognizably feminine name. If you're a person that likes nicknames, Eleanor comes with the ready-made nicknames Ellie, Ella, Nora, and Lena. It's just under the top 100 in popularity, but I've never met an Eleanor under 18, nor have I even heard of anyone considering the name, which is a tragedy in itself!

 

Still not sold? If you dislike the spelling, the main alternative is Elinor, but I've also seen Elanor. Popular references to the song other than the famous first lady is the Beatles song, Eleanor Rigby. (I affectionately call my boyfriend Rigby at times, and he strongly dislikes that. ;) ) Also the writer Nora Robertson? Her first name is Eleanor. And Degrassi Fans like me... do you guys remember Ellie Nash?! Yepp, she's an Eleanor, too.

Combos that would be beautiful with Eleanor, based on style:

Classic: Eleanor Grace, Eleanor Violet, Eleanor Clara, Eleanor Sophie.

Spunky: Eleanor Rae, Eleanor Blake, Eleanor Bijou, Eleanor Quinn.

Frilly: Eleanor Isabel, Eleanor Primrose, Eleanor Seraphine, Eleanor Fiona.

I'm not sure how else to convince you; I'm well out of ideas. :P But I will say, that you can't go wrong with Eleanor. You just can't.