Lenora means light or compassion — a shortened form of Eleonora/Eleanor, from the Greek or Provençal. Poe's Lenore is one of the most haunting names in poetry — the lost beloved in The Raven. Quoth the Raven, Nevermore — and all for Lenore. Three syllables of Poe-level haunting, Provençal compassion, and the woman whose loss made a raven speak.
Lenora is a shortened form of Eleonora/Eleanor meaning light or compassion. Poe's The Raven features Lenore as the haunting lost beloved — Quoth the Raven, Nevermore.
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First recorded
Earliest known use: Shortened form; Poe's The Raven (1845).
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Today
Lenora remains a beloved choice, ranking #1114 in the US. 36,525 babies have been named Lenora since 1880.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, SSA data
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How popular is Lenora?
1924peak year
Lenora appears in U.S. registration data going all the way back to 1880, when records begin. Its popularity climbed over the following decades. In 1924, 678 babies received the name (ranked #252). Today it sits well outside the top 1,000 (around #1114), with roughly 242 babies named Lenora each year. Lenora has been trending upward in recent years. In total, around 36,525 babies have been registered with this name since 1880.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Lenora's Life Path 7 is the seeker's number — Raven-haunted seeking. People named Lenora tend to be melodic, haunting, and gifted at being the loss that makes ravens speak.
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