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 increased from 414 in 2009 to 770 in 2013, in United States. 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". Yet 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 spelled "Elyat", which in turn leads to the modern alternative spelling of the name "Elyot".