I feel like I’ve posted about Eleanor more than enough: first that it’s not related Helen, despite everyone’s hopes that it is; then, that it might be related to Helen after all; then, Sara (DMNES expert) said it’s actually unlikely to be related to Helen … this name! It’s being kind of a pain!
Lisa emailed me today with a pretty great piece of info though:
“… a couple of weeks ago I was reading about Bl. Archangela Girlani (had never heard of her except from the book I’m reading- The Incorruptibles) whose birth name was Eleanor (I also saw it spelled Elanor) … I was thinking maybe that could be a saint association if people are looking for one — sort of like how St. Teresa Benedicta and Edith Stein are both used/ kind of interchangeable or JPII and Karol? She’s not a modern saint but in the book I’m reading it was mentioned that they exhumed her remains again in the 1960s and her body was still incorrupt — definitely a stretch but it’s a little bit of a modern connection.”
Yes yes yes! I love it! I would absolutely agree that Eleanor can have Bl. Archangela as a patron! (Side note: Archangela! Love it!)
I feel like there are some that would still really love the Eleanor-Helen connection, and I’m still feeling like it’s possible (not in a “yes, they’re etymologically related” way, but more a “it’s not uncommon to find Eleanor used in honor of a Helen” kind of way), but for those who just love Eleanor and want a saintly connection and might have previously looked to Helen because it seemed the obvious choice, Bl. Archangela might be really perfect!
Thanks to Lisa for this great tidbit! (Also? I LOVE The Incorruptibles! I used to pore over it in utter fascination when I was growing up. Catholics have the coolest stuff.)
As the mother of an Elanor, I’m so thrilled to read this!
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I thought of you when I saw the Elanor spelling!
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Oh, thank you for this! I had my girls (Elinor and Cora) before conversion, and thanks to you, now have patrons to help with extra prayers. I never felt a connection to Helen or Coralia. But found great comfort in the Sacred Heart and I can tell Archangela will be a favorite, too.
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That’s so great!!
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Beautiful name!
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I think that if Eleanor has been used for as long as it has as a form of Helen, then even if that’s not its original etymological origin, that has been the intention behind its use for SO long that, why not? Lol
Of course I’m the person who says, “NO, Fiona is not the feminine version of Fionn, it’s a totally different fake name!” So don’t take anything I say too seriously.
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I agree, Grace. In that Dictionary of Medieval Names it even concedes: “Though the names are unrelated, Ellen over time came to be considered a variant or a pet form of Eleanor.” And to me Ellen and Helen are definitely linked.
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Oh yes, Ellen and Helen are the same name/variants of each other.
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Ha!! I’m pretty much with you on the Eleanor-Helen thing. (But not the Fiona-Fionn thing!)
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Blessed Archangela is my Eleanor’s patron! Thanks for the post!
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So cool that you knew about her already!
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I just love the name Eleanor (and the nickname Nell!).
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Well, there is a St. Eleanor Parish that thinks it is named after St. Helena – http://www.steleanor.com/ (“Welcome to our parish” tab)
Funny, I, too, ran across that same reference/link to Bl. Archangela Girlani yesterday, after seeing it (Eleanor) was a name of interest for yesterday’s baby name consultant. I think that is a cool link to Eleanor even if not a well known blessed.
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I came across that parish’s web site before too!
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And I have a Catholic friend who is pregnant with number 8. If it is a girl it is going to be Elinor in honor of St. Helena AND her favorite Jane Austin character.
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Love it!
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I’ve never ever heard Archangela used before and think it’s such a neat name! Also, I always think of Eleanor as “Eleanor” but am loving all the variations here- Elinor/ Elanor/ Eleanora.
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Archangela’s totally on my radar now! I love all the Eleanor variations too.
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Nothing really to add here except that my mom had wanted to name me Eleanor but my dad wouldn’t let her, so she named our cat it, and I’m still a little bitter about it, because it was my favorite name and probably still would be if she hadn’t of insisted on using it for a cat 😛
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Gah!
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Eleanor has always been one of my favorites, too, like since I was about three years old! My cherished childhood doll was called Nora, as a nickname for Eleanor.
Anyway, I had always had Eleanor for a child’s name but then someone with whom I have a very competitive friendship named her daughter that so now I wouldn’t because of her and the weird relationship we have. It’s all right though, I ended up with Fiona instead which is cool and doesn’t repeat Elisabeth’s initial.
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Very cool info! And yes, incorruptibles are so amazing–can’t imagine my faith without them.
I’ve had the name Arcangelo (male version) on my mind this week, thanks to a composer that Pandora suggested to me. I know a couple little Angelos, but Arcangelo is even cooler… but less wearable.
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Arcangelo is amazing. I agree that it’s less wearable but I wonder why?
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I feel like out-there boys names always feel a little less usable than out-there girls names. And also, it feels less cross cultural to me, like you would need to be Spanish or Italian to pull off Arcangelo for me, but you wouldn’t to pull off Archangela–maybe because so many girls names end in A?
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Very good points, I think you’re right.
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Arcangelo Corelli?
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Funny coincidence: Eleanor is the name of the day today on behindthename.com 😀 Bl. Archangela Girlani must be saying hello!
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I think that way too!!
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Could Archangela possibly be a name for a little girl whose parents couldn’t decide between Michael, Gabriel and Raphael? 😅
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Ha! I love it!! Yes totally!!
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I agree that Bl. Archangela can be a patron saint for a little Eleanor. After all, she was baptized as Eleanor, which means God called her Eleanor on her baptism day and that has to count for something…
It’s the same with Bl. Mother Teresa: her birth name is Agnes, so I think she is my extra patron!
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I didn’t know Mother Teresa’s birth name was Agnes!
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I had to look this post up because I just learned what my friend’s grandparents are named!! And their Arcangelo and Arcangela 😀 😀 😀 Isn’t that so cool?!?!?
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Ohmygosh!! A married couple named Arcangelo and Arcangela?? I love it!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
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[…] Lisa let me know about Bl. Archangela Girlani not that long ago and I’ve been loving her name ever since. It’s four syllables and while her profile […]
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[…] and there’s a Venerable Honora Nagle, and Eleanor has often been taken as a variant of Helen, but there are some quibbles about that, so it can also refer to Bl. Archangela Girlani whose birth name was […]
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[…] Archangela Reader Lisa alerted me to Bl. Archangela Girlani a while ago as a way of having an authenticated saintly connection to Eleanor (because the Helen connection is […]
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[…] already considering Helen, and some people use Eleanor as a variant of Helen (read more about that here), and both Eleanor and Helen can use the sweet nickname Nell, so they might think it’s kind of […]
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[…] feel of James, June, and Alice. There’s a Ven. Honora Nagle, and they could also connect it to St. Helena via Eleanor, and also (a closer fit, I think) to Bl. Archangela Girlani, whose birth name is rendered as both Eleanor and Elanor. And actually, Elanor is fun for two […]
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[…] there are the non-H variants: Ellen, Elena, Elaine, Eleni, Ileana, Yelena, and Olena. And maybe Eleanor (which opens up some more variants, like Elea, Nora(h), and Lenora/Lenore). So many gorgeous […]
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[…] Eleanor would have been gorgeous too, and as for that pesky Eleanor/Helen connection, maybe my most recent post on it would be helpful going […]
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[…] rarely wrong, so I definitely had to list these here! The Eleanor names aren’t biblical, though it does have saintly connections (the comments are great too). I love its nicknames Ellie and Nell (which can both be for Elizabeth […]
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[…] Eleanor and its connection to Helena a few times — my most recent post on it is even entitled “Eleanor: Take 37” because when I wrote it, I felt like I was rehashing something that had already been rehashed and […]
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