Surname Eliot - Meaning and Origin

Eliot: What does the surname Eliot mean?

The last name Eliot is an English name that ultimately derived from the given name Elias. The given name Elias is a Hebrew name derived from the Hebrew Eliyahu, meaning “My God is Yahweh” or “Yahweh is my God”.

The name Eliot, or Elliott, is believed to have first arrived in England in the 11th century. The Eliot family were prominent members of the nobility in England and Scotland. They argued against excessive taxation and fought in many of the civil wars that broke out during the Middle Ages in both countries.

The Eliot family featured in various literary works, most notably in the works of renowned American poet T.S. Eliot, who was of partial British descent. Eliot is also the family name of the fictional J.A.R. Eliot, the hero of the popular movie “The Mouse That Roared”.

The Eliot family is well-known for its contributions to culture and science. Matthew Eliot, an English chemist and astronomer, was a knighted member of the Royal Society of London and an official of Charles I's court, and was appointed Astronomer Royal of England in 1699. He is also credited with discovering and publishing the first definite description of a modern day comet.

Today, the name Eliot is held in high regard and honors the family’s long history of success and achievement. It is highly esteemed both in Britain and in the United States, where it is seen as a symbol of intelligence, creativity, and leadership.

Eliot: Where does the name Eliot come from?

The last name Eliot is most commonly seen in the American Southwest region, particularly in Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. It is also seen more widely in the rest of the United States. Although not particularly common nationally, Eliot is often found among the backgrounds of people in the American Southwest. It is also seen in North and South America, including Brazil, Panama, Costa Rica, and Argentina.

The last name Eliot has likely descended from the Anglo-Saxon culture, as it could be derived from the given name Elijah. The surname has many spellings including Elliott, Eliott, Elyot, and Eloot. In its original spelling of Eliot, it is less common, and its variants are often seen dated from the 16th century in the USA.

As of 2019, Eliot is the 2,154th most popular surname in the United States. It ranked as the 1,820th most common name for baby boys in 2018 and the 2,892nd most common name for baby girls in 2018. There is also a considerable presence of Eliot in the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba.

Overall, the last name Eliot is most commonly found among most English-speaking nations of the world, although more frequent in certain countries like the United States and Canada.

Variations of the surname Eliot

The surname Eliot has a variety of spelling variants, surnames of the same origin, and alternate spellings.

The variants include Eliott, Elliott (the most common spelling variant), and Ellot. Surnames of the same origin include Elyot, Elliot, and Eliott.

Alternate spellings include: Elliett, Ellet, Elliet, Ellote, Ellott, Elloot, Ellout, Ellette, Ellifitt, Elliott, Illiot, Illiott, Elliotte and Eliott.

Eliot is a surname of both English and Scottish origin. In England the surname is derived from the Old French personal name Eliau, from Elias, from the Hebrew Eliyahu, meaning “Yahweh is God”. In Scotland Eliot is derived from the Old French personal name, Aillet, a diminutive form of Ada, a Germanic name meaning “noble”.

Eliot is most especially associated with the poet T.S. Eliot. He is believed to have been a direct descendant of Andrew Eliot, one of the founders of the Old Eliot family in Massachusetts in 1648. The Eliot family became well known throughout Massachusetts and New England during the 19th and 20th centuries, and to this day the surname Eliot remains strongly associated with the New England region.

Famous people with the name Eliot

• T.S. Eliot: Thomas Stearns Eliot, widely regarded as one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948. He was known for works such as The Wasteland, Ash Wednesday, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and Four Quartets.
• George Eliot: Mary Ann Evans, better known as George Eliot, was a Victorian-era poet, novelist, and author of some of the most highly-regarded works of British fiction, such as Middlemarch and Silas Marner.
• Jared Eliot: Jared Eliot was an 18th-century Connecticut-born physician and agronomist, known for writing two books on botany and agricultural practices and introducing the potato as a crop to the American Northeast.
• Sir John Eliot: Sir John Eliot was an English lawyer and statesman, recognized as one of the most learned members of the Tudor Court. He was also an active and ardent member of Parliament.
• DWight Eliot: Dwight Eliot was an American-born composer and pianist whose works spanned across multiple genres, including choral, chamber, dance, and vocal music.

Other surnames

Eliott