The baby name Elora has crossed oceans and worlds of fantasy to arrive in the US Top 500 – and it just keeps on climbing.
Thanks to Mollie for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME ELORA MEAN?
It’s easy to imagine parents arriving at Elora by smooshing together the sounds in Eleanora.
Or maybe by combining sounds from a handful of names from Hebrew origins, with meanings all related to light, like Leora, Liora, and Elior. Some of those variations add an extra syllable, but they’re still very similar.
Some parents might’ve just made the name up, cobbling together the enduring El of Elizabeth and Ellen and so many evergreen girl names, with the -ora ending, including 20th century favorites Lori, Laura, and Lora. Our enthusiasm remains constant for Elly/Ellie names, generation after generation.
In fact, five girls were given the baby name Elora way back in 1898. During the same decade, names like Cora, Dora, Nora, and Flora appeared in the US Top 100, with Elnora, Zora, Clora, Eudora, and Isadora among the many other -ora names in use.
But there’s another place parents might’ve heard Elora in the 1890s and early nineteenth century.
ELLORA ON THE MAP
Travel to Maharashtra, India, and you can visit Ellora. It’s a series of temples cut into the rock of a large cave complex, one of the biggest of its kind in the world.
Some of the artwork may date to the year 600. It’s certainly well over a millennia old. Towering rock sculptures dedicated to the gods and summarizing famous stories are found there.
In addition to temples devoted to the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain faiths, monasteries for each group have traditionally flourished in the caves.
It’s a religious site, first and foremost, welcoming the faithful on pilgrimage. But Ellora also sits on a South Asian trade route, bringing merchants through the region.
Now, the name.
It’s (likely) short for Elloorpuram. Sometimes it’s called Elapura, Elura, Elorah, or Verul. But while the name is ancient, the meaning is unclear.
FROM INDIA to ONTARIO
Often, when an ancient place name coincides with a given name, it’s down to coincidence.
But there might be something that links the Ellora Caves to the baby name Elora.
The Elora Gorge sits in Ontario, Canada, north of Guelph. The Grand River flows through it, complete with water falls and a swimming hole in an old limestone quarry. The movie version of Stephen King’s It, as well as the sequel, featured the location.
The community takes it name from the caves. How? Back in 1832, Captain William Gilkison founded the town. Scottish by birth, he’d been a British officer stationed in India and later fought in the War of 1812.
Gilkison purchased 14,000 acres of land along the Grand River, opening up businesses in what was then called Irvine. But he opted to change the name, instead, to Elora, inspired by the name of his brother’s ship. The ship, in turn, was named for the Elora caves.
Even in a moment when few Americans traveled the world, accounts of others’ journeys in newspapers and travelogues, brought foreign place names home. It’s possible that some of those 19th century girls named Ellora and Elora were inspired by the various loctions, too.
WILLOW
No question, though, that the baby name Elora owes its use to Willow.
The 1988 movie introduced the world to Elora Danan.
And sure enough, the name rose. Fewer than 5 girls received the baby name Elora in 1987. It reached 30 births in 1988, and 87 in 1989.
Ron Howard directed the George Lucas fantasy film. Warwick Davis plays Willow, a farmer who ends up on a quest, protecting an innocent baby from an evil queen.
Because that innocent baby? The survival of the entire world depends on her.
A rag-tag band of supporters forms, and against all odds, they save the day.
And the baby.
The movie wasn’t exactly a hit when it was first released. Critics weren’t sure what to make of it. But it received two Academy Award nominations, performed well internationally, and slowly became a cult classic. Chances are that – even if you haven’t seen the movie beginning to end – Willow seems familiar.
ELORA ON THE SMALL SCREEN
A television series based on the film is premiered on Disney+ in 2022. This new Willow introduced the name to a whole new generation of parents. But this time, it didn’t feel completely new. From the 20th to the 21st centuries, Elora grew up. Ellie Bamber played the future queen, in hiding as a kitchen maid named Dove in the new series.
Once again, there’s a quest and Willow is back in action.
There’s also an Elora on Reservation Dogs, the FX/Hulu comedy about a group of teenagers growing up on an Oklahoma reservation. The kids are intent on moving to California. It succeeds on its own merits, but it’s also noteworthy as the first television series featuring all indigenous writers and directors, as well as a mostly-indigenous cast.
Elora is played by Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs, and the character’s name is clearly a reference to Willow.
The series marks yet another place for parents to hear the name.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME ELORA?
In 2015, the baby name Elora debuted in the United States Top 1000 at #958.
It tracks with a generation of Willow fans growing up. Younger Eloras might also be named for the more recent pop culture uses.
And, just as in the late 19th century, it also marks a moment where we love -ora names, with Aurora, Cora, and Nora all popular.
Factoring in the El- sound, it’s a surprisingly versatile name, mixing modern and fantasy elements with a bit of vintage charm.
As of 2025, the baby name Elora ranks #354 – a new high.
Alora, too, is on the rise. The name Eliora entered the US Top 1000 in 2025.
In the United Kingdom, a steady, gradual increase in the use of the name Elora has taken it even higher in the popularity charts. As of 2024, Elora ranks in the England & Wales Top 250.
STYLISH and OTHERWORLDLY
There’s no doubt: Elora is a beautiful name. It blends creativity and adventure. It’s both an antique and a modern option. All those potential nicknames emphasize Elora’s versatile nature, a name at home across different life stages and for any personality.
It’s a thoroughly pretty, feminine name, but one with plenty of strength.
Elora is also an otherworldly name, one connected with a deeply spiritual and famous location, as well as a fictional figure from a fantasy quest.
The combination appeals, making the name familiar and accessible, but undeniably different, too. Even as it climbs in use, Elora still feels like a unique name, something most parents wouldn’t have heard in their own childhoods.
With Eloise in the US Top 50, Aurora in the Top 25, and Eliana breaking into the Top Ten in the US, it’s easy to imagine the baby name Elora trending even higher.
What do you think of the baby name Elora?
First published on October 13, 2021, this post was revised on June 10, 2026.
It’s nice but I prefer Cora as ora names go and Fleur for a pan botanical!
I quite like it. In fiction Elora seems to be given to powerful matriarchs when I come across it. Not a bad vibe for a name! Although interesting, considering the info on how infrequently it was used before the movie Willow. I would be afraid it might get confused with Laura or Eleanor, depending on how frequently that happens that would give me pause