Eleanor or Elinor

[flopsy1974]

Which do you all prefer, and is there a difference in the pronounciation?

Eleanor. Classy and lots of excellent women called Eleanor.

Elinor sounds lazy and a bit Amwerican. And pronounced differently I assume.

Elinor is pronounced exactly the same, don't see how it is lazy..
Just like putting a e on the end of Zo (e) or Ann (e) Its up to you!

Eleanor. Definitely.

Elinor is my daughter's name. Chosen because it is the Welsh spelling and Welsh pronunciation of Eleanor. We pronounce it as it is written so Eh-lin-or but I am forever having to correct people on this and am so sick of people calling her 'Elena'. Sometimes wish I'd gone for something else but I still love the name and will just have to get used to correcting people :)

I prefer Eleanor haven't come across the other spelling before.

And Sunchild there is a difference between Zo and Zoe, the e at the end of Zoe is not silent!! (Sorry but I get major feeling of rage towards people who are too lazy to pronounce my e )

Eleanor

Elinor is Welsh. Eleanor is English.

I like Elinor, for the Sense and Sensibility connection.

Ooh I love that film (and book of course)

Eleanor. Didn't know Elinor was Welsh until reading this thread though. Just thought it was a modern phonetic spelling of a classic name. I stand corrected. Still prefer Eleanor though.

Eleanor for me.

eleanor

Elinor - think it's the English way (Eleanor is French). Pronunciation is slightly different El - eee - nor rather than Ell- en- er. DD's second name is Elinor and I love it, much nicer than Eleanor.

Eleanor for sure

I prefer Elinor but then I'm biased!

If you go for this slightly more unusual spelling, be prepared to correct people who will want to use 'ea'. I knew lots of Eleanors growing up, and a couple of baby Eleanors now, but I am the only Elinor I've ever met. And yes TCOB, the pronounciation should be different but often isn't. Tch, slipping standards.

Lazy?! Pah!

I have an ancestor of this name, and it is spelled both ways in different documents. Spelling is a relatively modern thing, people used to spell names any way they liked. Neither version is "correct" nor are they tied to a particular region or country, and there shouldn't be any marked difference in pronunciation.

The popularity of the name in the UK can probaly be traced back to Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of Henry II Plantagenet, but in France she was also spelled Aliénor.

Elinor

Eleanor reminds me of elephant.

Eleanor is far nicer

Elinor.

I'm Gina Elinor and my mum is Elinor and we come from Welsh heritage. Doe's it matter anyway given it both options sound the same?

*does

I'm an Elinor so I'm biased, but I love the way my name is spelled. It seems more streamlined & elegant than Eleanor -- which in fact doesn't even seem like the same name, although they are definitely pronounced the same. "Elinor" is a traditional name & spelling in our (English & Welsh) family.

Zombie thread!

No difference in pronunciation, however.

Definitely Eleanor. Really not keen on the Elinor spelling.

Definitely Eleanor.