Entry № 3786 · Latin origin

Leonora Leonora — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ lee-oh-NOR-ah /
Gender
Girl
Origin
Latin
Meaning
"Light (Leonora Carrington, surrealist painter)"
Syllables
4
Rank · US 2025
№ 0
First recorded
Medieval (Italian)

A name that means "light (leonora carrington, surrealist painter)".

Leonora is the Italian elaborated form of Eleanor — from the Old Provençal Aliénor. A modern revival in the vintage-Italian aesthetic. Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) — *British-Mexican surrealist painter, novelist, and feminist activist; one of the last living members of the original Surrealist movement; her 1942 Self-Portrait (Inn of the Dawn Horse) is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art; her 1944 novella The Hearing Trumpet (revised 1976) is considered a masterpiece of feminist literature; in 2024 the Mexican government featured her on the 1,000 peso banknote. Leonora — title character of Beethoven's only opera Fidelio (1805) — Leonora disguises herself as the male prison guard "Fidelio" to rescue her husband Florestan from political imprisonment; the opera's themes of liberty and marital devotion remain among the most-performed in the German operatic repertoire. Leonora of Verdi's Il Trovatore (1853) and La Forza del Destino* (1862) — two of the most-iconic Verdi soprano roles. Princess Leonor of Spain (born 2005) — heir apparent to the Spanish throne.

Featured throughout art, opera, and modern Italian heritage.

Light. Leonora Carrington (Met Museum + 1,000 peso bill 2024); Beethoven's Leonora in Fidelio.

The name in its native script.

Leonora
Transliteration
Leonora
Pronunciation
/ ˌliː.əˈnɔːr.ə /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Leonora stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 0 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 0 in 0
Babies named Leonora · last year
130 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
0
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · — NOW · —

Leonoras before her.

Real people
Leonora Carrington
British-Mexican surrealist painter.
1917 – 2011
Princess Leonor of Spain
Heir to Spanish throne.
born 2005
In fiction
Leonora
Beethoven's Fidelio.
1805

Names connected to Leonora.

The number behind Leonora.

7

The Seeker

Leonora reduces to seven.

Why families chose this name.

"Carrington's light. Seven letters. Leonora."
Sofia · Mother of one · Mexico City