Eliot

Meaning of Eliot

Eliot is the kind of name that tips its hat to history while still feeling crisp and contemporary. Rooted in medieval England as a diminutive of Elijah/Elias—Hebrew for “the Lord is my God”—Eliot has long traveled the literary lanes, carried by giants like poet T. S. Eliot and novelist George Eliot (who, in a cheeky 19th-century plot twist, was actually Mary Ann Evans writing under a male pen name). Stateside, the single-L spelling never rushes the spotlight, yet it’s held a steady, gentlemanly stride for more than a century, hovering in the mid-hundreds on the Social Security charts; parents clearly like its understated confidence. With its soft initial vowel and tidy three-syllable rhythm (EL-ee-uht), Eliot sounds both friendly and refined—think cardigan and quill one moment, sneakers and laptop the next. For families looking for a name that whispers tradition, nods to creativity, and leaves room for a child to write his own story, Eliot fits the bill with quiet charm and a dash of literary sparkle.