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Eliot Name Meaning, Origins & History

Eliot

Pronunciation: EL-ee-uht

Meaning The Lord is my God Origin Hebrew Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#1,403
TREND
34
GIRLS RANK
#6,182
TREND
6,311
Peak Years
2012, 2010, 2013
Lowest Years
1909, 1908, 1911
Energy Archetype
Versatile & Freedom-Loving

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Eliot in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Eliot

  • More than 8 thousand babies named Eliot: U.S. records list 8,462 babies given the name Eliot from 1880 through 2025. Even 573 girls received the name Eliot - about 1 girl for every 14 boys.

What Does the Name Eliot Mean?

Eliot is an English given name and surname meaning "Yahweh is God" (also rendered "the Lord is God"). It comes from the biblical Hebrew name אֵלִיָּהוּ (Eliyahu), known in English as Elijah. That Hebrew name is traditionally explained as a compound of El, a word for God, and a form of the divine name Yahweh; scholars have also read it as "My God is Yahweh," so the precise grammatical relationship of the elements is debated. The name passed into Greek as Ἠλίας (Elias) and then into Latin as Elias. In medieval England, Elias was a common personal name, and Eliot developed as a diminutive of it, formed with the Old French suffix -ot. In that sense the surname originally meant "little Elias." Eliot is therefore a variant of the surname and given name Elliot (also spelled Elliott), not an independent Hebrew name.

Eliot Name History & Origins

The name's ultimate source is the Hebrew prophet Elijah, whose name appears in the Greek Septuagint as Ἠλίας (Elias) and in the Latin Bible as Elias. From Latin, Elias passed into medieval European vernaculars, including Old French Elie and English Elias. In medieval England, Elias was used as a baptismal name, and diminutive forms such as Elyot are found in surviving records. The surname Eliot grew out of that personal name; the ending -ot is an Old French diminutive suffix. The spelling Eliot is one of several standard variants, alongside Elliot and Elliott; the Eliot spelling is usually derived from the medieval personal name Elias, the same source that produced the English surname. As a given name, Eliot is used in English-speaking countries, often as a transferred use of the surname. The surname is familiar from figures such as the poet T. S. Eliot and the novelist George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), but those literary associations belong to the surname's later history rather than to its origin.

How Popular is the Name Eliot?

Eliot recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2012. Its best rank was #800 in 1960.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

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How the Name Eliot Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You are fine when in harmony but changeable when in discord, because many of your best qualities are then reversed. You are entertaining but may be impulsive. Freedom is a necessity, and you find it difficult to settle down. Your versatility results in many changes, and often brings travel. Your fine intellect is capable of high honors if applied seriously. You are capable of inspired thinking applied to material things. You can be restless, changeable, and very sexy. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.

You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.

✦ Eliot's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Eliot's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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