Elliot

Elliot (also spelled Eliot, Elliott, Eliott and Elyot) is a personal name which can serve as either a surname or a given name. Although the given name was historically given to males, females named Elliot have seen an increase in recent years. For example, one of the main characters on the television show Scrubs was female and named Elliot. The origin of the surname is obscure, perhaps due to much of the genealogy of the Eliott clan being burnt in the destruction of the castle at Stobs in 1712 AD. The clan society usually accepts that the name originated from the town and river Elliot in Angus, Scotland. Some other sources suggest it may be derived from a French form of Elias, which is itself derived from the biblical name "Elijah". Other sources claim that the Scottish surnames (Eliott, Elliot) originate from the Ellot Scottish border-clan, from a transformation of the name Elwold. There are also records in the Domesday Book of the name spelled "Ailiet", thought to originate from an old English name "Æþelgeat" (meaning "noble gate") and leading to the English and Scottish given name speller "Elyat", which in turn leads to the modern alternative spelling of the name "Elyot".

It is generally agreed that spelling of the surname originated in the early 13th century as "Eliot" as there is reference to "Geoffrey Eliot", Abbot of Hyde in documents linked to the creation of the Magna Carta. Later, around the 15th century (although the precise dates are unknown) derivations began to appear and now the original spelling is relatively uncommon.

Among the many famous people with this name, the most notable include authors T. S. Eliot and pseudonymous George Eliot. Other uses of the word include: