It is said that the Elliots took their name from Eliot in Forfarshire, though the common early form of the name was the old English Elwold.
Modern branches of the family spell the name in several different ways, those of Stobs preferring Eliott initially and Eliot today.
The name has often been used as a first name and was also made more popular by the movie, E.T.
Variations in spelling
An old rhyme commemorates these differences:
The double L and single T
Descent from Minto and Wolflee,
The double T and single L
Mark the old race in Stobs that dwell.
The single L and single T
The Eliots of St Germains be,
But double T and double L,
Who they are nobody can tell.
A list of variants of the name current in the 17th century numbers about seventy, from Allat to Hellewald.
Branches of the Elliot Clan
- Arkleton is a village in the Civil Parish of Ewes, in Dumfriesshire.
- Minto is a village north of the River Teviot, in the Scottish Borders.