An English, Scottish and Irish surname, the Elliott surname came from the Middle English names of ‘Elyat’ and ‘Elyt’. It was also another form of the name Ellis. The Gaelic names of Eileach, Elloch and Eloth refer to a mound or the bank of a river. A French version of Elias originally came from the given name of Elijah. The Scottish form is Elwold.

Spelling variations for Elliott include Eliot, Eliott, Ellacott, Ellgate, Ellegot, Ellit, Ellegett and Elliot.

In Scotland most with the Elliott surname live in the southern counties, especially in Lanarkshire. In England the northern regions of Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire and Lancashire have the higher percentage of Elliott families. There are also numerous individuals along the southern coast of England.

During the late 18th century, Elliott families moved to America and Canada. In the 19th century many Elliott families moved to Ireland and Australia.

Across most of the United States, the Elliott surname is common, especially in the mid-west and northeastern states. The states of New York, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Missouri have large populations of Elliott families.


Famous: Ralph Nelson Elliott (developed the Wave Principle which show trends in the Stock Market), Chris Elliott (actor), Wade Elliott (English soccer player), Sterling Elliott (inventor of bicycles for women and steering improvements for automobiles), Herb Elliott (Australian champion runner) and Bob Elliott (professional baseball player).