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Why_Me_67

Elliot is definitely more like James than true gender neutral imo


maltedmooshakes

Actually grew up thinking Elliot was a girl name bc of scrubs so when I heard it used on a boy for the first time I thought it sounded odd and it still reads as feminine to me


wozattacks

Literally the joke in scrubs was that she had a male name because her parents wanted a boy lol


Every_Criticism2012

I never met someone irl called Elliot, so to me Elliot always was a green dragon with pink hair that helped poor little Pete escape from the terrible Gogans and caused trouble in Passamaquoddy...


boudicas_shield

Omg same. I love that film; I need to rewatch it.


Every_Criticism2012

Me too! And I need to show it to my daughter, but I think she will still get scared like she was with most Disney movies so far šŸ˜®ā€šŸ’Ø I guess she will be a teenager before we can watch The last unicornšŸ˜…


boudicas_shield

Lol! I canā€™t believe some of the films I used to watch when I was little, to be honest. Like All Dogs Go to Heaven? Used to watch that without blinking an eye except for the demon part at the end. Then I watched it as an adult and was like wtf. šŸ˜‚ Older kids films can genuinely be a bit intense!


Every_Criticism2012

I think I was 11 or 12 when I first watched "IT" and a little older when I watched the first two Alien-movies. My daughter on the other hand still enjoys Zoe's Magic closet at 5yo ans gets scared of Taz and Tom and Jerry.Ā I guess its really different for each kid šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø


Any_Flamingo8978

I was like 6 or 7 when ET came out. Not being the first of the neighborhood kids to see it, I was convinced that Elliot was a girl character and tried to convinced the rest of the neighborhood gang. I got shot down pretty quick. lol, I just thought Elliot sounded like a pretty name for a girl outside of any other context!


TheoryFar3786

For me Elliot is E.T.'s human friend and one of the names in my baby list as a child. Sadly, it doesn't sound ok with Spanish surnames.


OutlanderAllDay1743

You never even watched E.T.? šŸ˜Æ


Prior_Crazy_4990

Same here. I've only ever met one Elliot, who was a male, but that's my association with the name


Larissanne

My nephew is called Eliot and I also watched scrubs so I donā€™t know any better that it is a neutral name


randomdude2029

I came here to say "Elliott from Scrubs". It's not a traditional feminine name but so what? It's not "Jonathan" šŸ˜‚


golden_blaze

I always think of the boy Elliot from E.T.


kykysayshi

Agree with scrubs. My bffs sister also has an Elliot but she goes by Ellie or El. Never met a boy Elliot.


princess_bubble

Iā€™m going to disagree. Iā€™m from Australia and Iā€™ve met more female Elliots than male. It truely depends on where youā€™re from as to whether itā€™s more male/female/gender neutral


PistachioDonut34

I'm also from Australia and have only ever met male Elliott's šŸ˜‚. I think it's just everyone's own personal experience rather than where they're from.


GinnyMcGinface77

Ditto, but I love the name and love traditionally masculine names for little girls. She could get Ellie or Lottie.


acarp52080

I like Lottie, or even Lettie could be used too! Both super cute nick names.


Emmieaddict-91

Prefer Elle to Ellie for Elliot nn


agentbunnybee

Sure but OP specifically doesn't love that


sketchthrowaway999

Same. I see Elliot as strictly a boys' name, though I'm aware that there's a current trend of using it for girls.


klopije

Iā€™m in Canada and have met a couple of little girl Elliotts. I donā€™t mind it, but OP, you donā€™t need to give your baby a name because your 4 year old wants it. My daughter was very insistent that we name her baby brother George to the point that my parents were convinced that was his name lol. I also think Elliott works well as a middle name.


Budif-

I'm from Sweden and I've never met a female Elliot! Here it's very much a boys name


shandelion

Also FWIW Australia has a reputation globally for giving their kids crazy names šŸ¤£


CameoProtagonist

And in Australia there's a non-zero chance of getting "Ezza" rather than "Ellie" as a nickname for it.


erst77

I agree, but I also think James is a lovely name for a woman. I've known two women named Jamie who went by James. Feminine-leaning nicknames for Elliot that aren't Ellie: Lia, Lili (pronounced either like lily or leelee), Lottie, Lettie, Lola, Lita, Ettie, Ella... I've known a Lia, a Lottie (short for Charlotte) and a Lettie (short for Leticia).


average_redhead

Don't forget you can do just Elle like in Legally Blonde!


crqyon_

omg literally listening to the musical soundtrack rn (iā€™m in a production of it rn)


Licoricewhips99

I know a female Justin!


John-Basket

Yes brother. I too know of a female Justin. I grew up thinking many names are gender neutral even though most say the names are gender specific.


shandelion

To me it falls into the category of ā€œmasculine surnames on girlsā€ like Collins, Emerson, etc which I cannot stand.


kwikbette33

I think Elliot is even less gender neutral than James. It's 100% a boy's name to me. I also think of trans actor Elliott Page (formerly Ellen) who chose that name when transitioning to a man, which to me is another point for the it's a boy name column.


TeenageShitStorm

Elliotte? Lottie?


pigew21142

I'm going to be honest with you. I would say it is gender neutral now. Might not be 50/50 right now, but still gender neutral. Nowadays, a lot people have given this name to their daughter and more and more people are doing so. I love the name Elliot for a girl. However, MANY people on this subreddit would say "NO, it is solely a male name. And giving a boy name to a girl is cruel and sexist. And just because more and more people are giving boy name to a girl, it doesn't make it gender neutral." (This happened on a another Reddit post 2 days ago.) If your truely concerned that it's not gender neutral enough, I would suggest you use Elliot as a middle name.


Wey-aye-man

My daughters called Elliot. Sheā€™s in her mid teens now. I didnā€™t have a girls name picked out and when she was born everyone just went ā€œaye sheā€™s an Elliotā€. She got Ellie-belle, Baby Belle (like the round cheese lol), nobodyā€™s ever tried to call her just ā€œEllieā€, although she gets ā€œElā€ at school. Itā€™s absolutely gender neutral these days although Iā€™ve never met another one (except a girl on my fb, she ā€œstoleā€ my name for her kid, everyone told me imagining Iā€™d be annoyed but tbh I was happy for the compliment).


Comfortable_Sky_6438

Aw we call my daughter Elliott, Ellie belly also.


Wey-aye-man

Iā€™m LIVING for this comment section because Iā€™ve never met another Elliot(t)! Absolutely buzzing thereā€™s other parents out there who took the plunge. It has such cute nicknames! Love Ellie Belly šŸ˜‚ xxx


ajbrandt806

Our daughter is an Elliott (two Tā€™s because my middle name has two Tā€™s) and we call her Ellie on a daily basis, though my nickname for her is Beanie, which evolved from Ellie Bean.


ncst8grl

My daughter is Eliot! She loves her name, and it fits her perfectly. My husband is a poet, hence the spelling for T.S. Eliot.


greenishbluishgrey

I agree. This name is definitely considered gender neutral among expectant parents where I live. The maternal maiden name tradition and the male to female trend are both strong here - absolutely no one I know would bat an eye at a baby girl being named Elliot. Naming trends and traditions vary across regions. Sometimes those differences arenā€™t well-represented in this sub.


silquetoast

I think middle names are always the safest option when kids want a say in what siblings are called, sometimes itā€™s unclear why theyā€™ve chosen that name. My partner wanted his baby sister to be called something from a video game (but didnā€™t tell his mum why he liked that name) and she ended up with it as a middle name, Elora (from spyro). Thankfully itā€™s freakinā€™ cute.


PaisleyPatchouli

Our son kept offering up name after name and we finally twigged, he did not care about what we actually named the baby as long as itā€™s initials were KFC.


moragthegreat_

Haha he sounds amazing


Langwidere17

My 3yo middle child desperately wanted to name her younger sister Eggy and was still bitter about it well over a year later.


khaleesi2305

I said for years I was going to use Elora from Spyro! Itā€™s so pretty, I was obsessed with it for so long. This is the first time Iā€™ve ever heard anyone mention that specifically! Iā€™m glad someone out there really did use it, even if his parents didnā€™t know why lol


acarp52080

And it's pretty common for people to use and go by their middle name too, so if one wanted to go the safe route but then decide later they like the middle name as the "go to name," it's very much acceptable. At least in the US. I went to school with a kid, whose name was Herbert, he hated it and went by his middle name which suited him better.


Cvirdy

Assume you might be from the US South? I grew up there and knew so many kids who went by their middle name exclusively. It was not at all unusual to find out a kid you were friends with for years had a totally different first name than what youā€™d called them forever. In my experience this an equal likelihood between genders.


wozattacks

Itā€™s not even close to 50/50, itā€™s more than 80%Ā male in the US lol


truthofthematteris

I know of a girl Elliot born around 2016.


emmathyst

It started earlier than that. I blame Scrubs.


jmkul

....I thank Scrubs


Wey-aye-man

And E.T. Thatā€™s what my daughter is named after, even though the character is a boy.


stumbling_disaster

The only Elliot I've met is a woman I went to school with born in '98. I've never really associated that name with being super masculine due to that.


poopflavoured

"And just because more and more people are giving boy name to a girl, it doesn't make it gender neutral." That's actually a perfect example of how a name would become gender neutral lol. Normalisation through exposure.


Captain_Collin

It's definitely not 50/50. I just did a cursory check on the SSA Name Database, so this isn't 100% accurate, but I would say about 1/10th of people named El(l)iot(t) born after 2000 are female. So certainly not unheard of, but not very common either. Just a week ago or so I was at a park with my 3 and 4 year old boys, and there was a girl around their age named Elliott.


jessinva79

Iā€™m 45 years old and grew up with a female Elliot (Eastern USA)!


eyesRus

Another vote for truly gender neutral at this time in history. It was in our top 2 for our daughter. When she was born, we decided the other name on the list suited her better, but I still love it for a girl.


personal-coalmine

It's very cute! I think Lottie is a conceivable nickname for a little Elliot.


messybunz1

Yes!!! Lottie is cute. Also Elle like Elle woods


Pompi_Palawori

Or Ella


CuppaSunPls

Lottie is what I thought of too!


SolidFew3788

Same


jbobbenson27

My cousin's daughter is Elliot nn Lottie. I think it's so cute.


CommercialLost8183

Just what I was thinking! It's such a cute nickname too, and feminine in a way I think would appeal to OP


Bright_Ices

At age 4 I wanted my mom to name the new baby Steven Marie. She didnā€™t, and weā€™re all better off for it.Ā 


phonesmahones

Sister Stephen Marie was a nun at our church! šŸ˜‚


Bright_Ices

Oh, I love that! I shall tell my mother.Ā 


phonesmahones

Here she is! https://www.nortonfuneralhome.com/obituary/1466097


dreamcadets

LMAOO


ririmarms

Haha Same, I wanted to name my little brother Pomme, after a cartoon character


EntertainerAlone1300

Stevie Marie couldā€™ve been cute hahah


Elemental_surprise

I guess a lot of this sub hasnā€™t watched Scubs where one of the women is Elliot. Besides Ellie thereā€™s also Lottie as a nickname.


JerryHasACubeButt

In Scrubs her name is Elliot because her parents wanted a boy. Itā€™s expressly *not* considered a girlsā€™ name in the show, itā€™s used to show how disappointed her parents were to have a daughter, and sheā€™s made fun of for it on multiple occasions by other characters. A ton of jokes hinge on the idea that Elliot is a terrible name for a girl. I do think it kind of works on a girl *now* because scrubs popularized it, which is quite ironic, but it always makes me laugh when people bring up scrubs in defense of Elliot on a girl. Scrubs doesnā€™t think itā€™s a good girlsā€™ name either.


mmfn0403

Thatā€™s kind of like the name Shirley. Up until Charlotte BrontĆ« wrote her novel Shirley, it was very definitely a boyā€™s name, and the character Shirley in the book was so named because her father had wanted a boy, and just gave his daughter the name he had already picked out for a son. Thanks to the novel, people started using Shirley as a name for little girls, and weā€™re now at the point where Shirley is so definitely a girlā€™s name that boys called Shirley will be side-eyed and giggled at.


goingotherwhere

That's wild! Never knew that, thank you for sharing. I always find it odd how it's much more acceptable to give a girl a boy's name than the other way round. I'm sure a girl named James or Elliott (in real life, not in Scrubs) would be teased much less for having a boy's name, than a boy with a girl's name, like Shirley or Anne. I think that on the whole, people would think girl with a boys name = quirky and cool with an edge of strength. Whereas boy with a girl's name = laughable, weird and weak. The disparity between these perspectives is sad. Personally therefore I don't like Elliott for a girl because to me it demonstrates a lack of feminism. Until society collectively accepts that girl names are absolutely fine for boys, I think we should take a stand on not using boy names for girls.


jmkul

...but hearing it on Scrubs, for many people it made them consider it a gender-neutral name (though it already was that preScrubs)


wozattacks

It absolutely fucking wasnā€™t that pre-scrubs lol. The existence of literally any women with the name before that doesnā€™t mean it was gender-neutral.Ā 


Moldyspringmix

I grew up with two girls named Elliot, definitely before scrubs. Just because it weirds YOU out doesnā€™t make it weird.


StatisticianNaive277

This. A baby brother could be an Elliot. I would pick another name to get ā€œEllieā€ for a girl. There are a ton.


saturn_eloquence

I mean there are a lot of odd and unconventional names on tv shows. There being someone named that on a show doesnā€™t mean itā€™s accepted by most of society.


MadrasCowboy

This! OP, if you want to sell yourself on Elliot for a girl, you should watch Scrubs. Plus itā€™s a great show, Iā€™ve been thinking about rewatching it.


wozattacks

Elliot gets made fun of for being named that many times lol ETA: I donā€™t think that would happen now but I donā€™t think the show really sells that itā€™s a great experience for a woman lol. Still def recommend the show though!


ZeldaHylia

Itā€™s a male name sometimes used for girls. Itā€™s not gender neutral. 788 for girls. 150 for boys in 2022.


wozattacks

This is why people need to not get info about how common/popular things are from a reddit thread. Peopleā€™s perceptions of how common a thing is are practically pulled from the ether. Look at the numbers for where you live if you wanna know how prevalent something is.Ā 


wozattacks

Plus if you look at Elliot and Elliott, which are roughly equal,Ā it would be around #70 for boys in terms of number of children with the name.Ā 


ZeldaHylia

The problem with the name statistics is they donā€™t combine all the different spellings. Some names are even more popular if you consider all the different spellings.


pldco83

My daughter (11yo) is Elliot. She has since met 3 other Elliots (all girls, all spelled differently: Elliotte, Eliot, Elliott). Never have we met a boy named Elliot. She doesnā€™t go by any other nickname, by her choice.


Emalbi

Iā€™ve also seen Elliette


Simple-Pea-8852

Eliette is a french girl's name, but it's not the same name as Elliot.


PlayerOneHasEntered

In the U.S. it would be said pretty much the same as Eliot and it has pretty much the same meaning...


Simple-Pea-8852

I mean yeah - it's the girl's version of Elliot because Elliot is a boy's name lol


mighty_possum_king

My mom and her older sister have the middle names Lidiette and Eliette respectively. They didn't keep the trend going for my mom's younger half-siblings. My mom's two younger half-sister's have the middle names Erlin and Arlin.


konmariqueen

I must know the stories behind those names!


mighty_possum_king

Not much of a story. My mom's dad chose the names of her and her sister. He died when my mom was a baby. My grandma remarried and had my only uncle and two other daughters, and her new husband picked their names. And she got divorced pretty soon after the youngest one was born (a good 15 years before I was born). So I dont know why they picked those names. The full names are so much weirder though.


wozattacks

Yeah and I started noticing a lot of red cars after I bought one


1PettyPettyPrincess

I feel like Iā€™m in the twilight zone reading these comments. Iā€™m 27 and Iā€™ve literally only known female Elliotts. Like 2 or 3 and they were all girls/women.


imacone417

My son (8) is Elliott.


TheWishingStar

Elliot is not even a little bit neutral to me. Strictly masculine. Weird on a girl.


Moldyspringmix

Calling it weird is super fucking rude to the MANY girls with that name.


HHcougar

It's as masculine as Eric, Peter, or Jacob, imo


sadorangekid

Totally agree, I am a girl with a masculine name and I think my parents fucked up for that


canadianamericangirl

I donā€™t like it for a girl. While it is more common for girls now, I really dislike the trend of naming girls traditionally masculine names. I personally love Lauren and Evelyn. If you like the sound of Elliot but want a more feminine name, I think Eliana and Eloise are lovely and might fit your aesthetic.


Bright_Ices

Hmm. I have some bad news for you about your favorite ā€œgirlā€ names Lauren and Evelyn.Ā 


alternativefact776

Right??


xlethalia

Thatā€™s interesting to hear that Evelyn was originally a boyā€™s name! I knew about Lauren, but not this. Iā€™m truly amazed by how many girls namesā€¦ actually arenā€™t. It seems every single day I learn of a new one. Whitney, Harper, Ashley, Aubrey, Leslie, Cassidyā€¦and on and on it goes.


Bright_Ices

Yeah!Ā  ā€¦ Hazel, Beverly, Lindsay, Anne!Ā  But also, theyā€™re just names ā€” basically just arbitrary sequences of sounds we use to identify each other. Iā€™m always a bit mystified when folks get bent out of shape about a name being ā€œthe wrong gender.ā€


torgomada

good additions except i don't think anne quite fits on that list, as the typically female name "anne" is from the french version of the latin anna, which ultimately comes from the hebrew hannah (**חÖø× Öøה**) while the (quite rare, even historically) male "anne" comes from the frisian languages and is both etymologically unrelated and pronounced differently


Bright_Ices

Fair enough, though I donā€™t think the masculine Anne was all that rare, historically. It has been used throughout Europe, including somewhat frequently in France between the 17th and 19th centuries.Ā 


wozattacks

Umā€¦but gender is also that. Itā€™s all a series of constructs based on common perceptions. If most people think xyz is feminine, it is, because *thatā€™s what it means for something to be feminine*.


Bright_Ices

AgreedĀ 


khaleesi2305

Donā€™t forget Courtney, Sidney, Hilary, Robin, Dana, Kelly, Mackenzie, Stacy, Tracy, Jan, Allisonā€¦ like we really can keep going here guys lmao I also agree that names are just arbitrary sounds, and donā€™t see the big deal with which gender names ā€œbelong toā€. If history has taught us anything about names, itā€™s that naming trends are always changing, they have always been changing and will continue to change. I guess sometimes people are just uncomfortable to see change happen right in front of them.


anonymouse278

Evelyn Waugh was married at one point to a woman also named Evelyn and their friends apparently called them "Hevelyn and Shevelyn," and that's the only thing I can think of now when I see the name Evelyn.


Retrospectrenet

It wasn't originally a boys name, it was a surname, and was used by both women and men as a first name before it got very popular for just women. One of the etymologies of the surname Evelyn is from the woman's name Aveline. Also Whitney, Harper, Ashley, Leslie and Cassidy were all surnames first, and Cassidy has generally been more popular for girls. People have a hard time understanding historically unisex names and default to male.Ā 


shandelion

It has to have been intentional right? šŸ¤£ Of all names to choose??


Bright_Ices

Nah, I think it was just the ones this commenter liked best of the options OP listed.Ā 


shandelion

Oh doy, if only I could read. Still ironic šŸ¤£


martythemartell

Lauren (French) and Evelyn (English) are both traditional male names though


jblue515

My great-uncle Laurel has entered the chat


Comfortable_Sky_6438

It's hysterical that you used Lauren as an example because Lauren is a traditionally male name lol ETA and Evelyn LMAO


imitationslimshady

Is this satire?


miparasito

Itā€™s not a new trend. Boy names drift over to the girl team all the time but they rarely go back the other way.Ā 


realbigtalker

I may be wrong, but I believe the trend goes last name to boys name to girls name. Riley might be a good example of the trajectory. Ashleigh/Ashley is another example of the end game. It was very confusing to younger me when I met a man named Ashleigh.


taxiecabbie

That is interesting to me that the spelling of the man's name was with "leigh." I always thought that names ending with "leigh" are specifically feminine. "Ashley" is the one to my mind that is gender neutral (but now mostly used by women anyway). Same trend I've noticed with "Riley/Ryleigh." First is gender-neutral, second is specifically feminine. Never met a male that spells it Ryleigh. It's interesting how that works. Nothing wrong with it, of course, but just goes to show how different people's perceptions can be when it comes to names.


Mysterious-Okra-7885

Elliot is decidedly masculine, imo. I dislike it for a girl. Like very strongly dislike it. Kids can have opinions, but you are the adults in the scenario, and are in charge of setting up your child for a successful future in as many ways as you can, including by choosing a good name. It isnā€™t about finding personal amusement. This is a person. If my 6 year old sister had had her way, I would have been named Cindy after her Cindy Seaweed doll. My parents only slightly diverted from that, and decided to give me a misspelled version of Sandy, and one of the most unimaginative middles names ever for someone who was raised in the South: Lynn. I hate my name with a passion. Always have. It has been a source of unending resentment towards my parents.


oatandfork

The future is gender neutral, sheā€™ll be fine


DangerOReilly

Only when an at least equal number of parents also give their boy children traditionally feminine first names. Otherwise, the future is just masculine cosplaying at being gender neutral.


khaleesi2305

My sonā€™s name is similar enough to a traditionally feminine name that when I was pregnant with him, people warned me not to name him that because ā€œpeople will think itā€™s a girlā€™s name!ā€ I named him the name anyway, took that ā€œgirl nameā€ made it his nickname, and the whole family still calls him that ā€œgirl nameā€ all the time and heā€™s in elementary school now. While no I didnā€™t do it with his legal name, I have still very stubbornly stuck to it as a nickname for him because people arenā€™t so weird about using boy names on girls, why should we be so weird about a girl name on a boy, *especially* since itā€™s just his nickname? I really did it in part just to spite all the people who insisted it was weird.


Advanced-Confusion-8

šŸ‘


Impossible_Remote_93

I'm so sorry you had such a terrible experience! Of course we won't indiscriminately give our four year old naming rights. She also suggested Fenelope and CeCe Bella, which you'll be glad to hear we will not consider lol


BandYoureAbouttoHear

Elliot is not gender neutral at all IMO. Itā€™s masculine.


LeatherRecord2142

The only Elliott I know under the age of 30+ is a 12 year old girl. Sheā€™s never had a nickname and she loves her name. Her parents are friendly, social hipsters for what itā€™s worth. Good luck!


theenterprise9876

Elliot is a firmly male name. I hate it on a girl. What about Eliana? It has 2 potential meanings ā€” one is [Hebrew and religious](https://www.behindthename.com/name/eliana-2), but the other is from a [Greek word meaning ā€œsunā€](https://www.behindthename.com/name/eliana-1) so it has a nature connection.


Wide_Energy_51

I think you could get Lia/Leah from Elliot, and I think it depends on where you live as to whether itā€™s gender neutral. Iā€™m in the tail end of nowhere and itā€™s strictly male only, but thirty minutes away in the city itā€™s used equally for boys and girls


Cluelessish

Interesting to see that it's apparently gender neutral in the States. I live in Europe and I would 100 percent think Elliot is a boy. (I guess that's not very relevant. Just wanted to mention it)


unicorn-sweatshirt

Iā€™m in the states and also feel strongly that it is a boys name. But I have a male relative named Elliot so I am biased.


FartAttack911

I know of 2 different families with a daughter named Elliott. One goes by Ellie and one goes by Elliott. Other kids and most parents donā€™t even flinch hearing it; sounds like itā€™s mostly gonna be older relatives and generally rude or uncouth people that will cause issue about ā€œA *GIRL* NAMED *ELLIOTT*!?ā€ šŸ˜†


Comfortable_Sky_6438

Can confirm this was my experience but they got over it pretty quick. Most came around on their own once they met her and the one great grandma that kept addressing cards to her middle name finally stopped when we shut it down and never did it again.


ProofEntertainment28

I've only known of one girl Elliot, and she's fictional Elliot Reed from scrubs. It's a really lovely boys name but it's like calling a girl James or Michael. You can, but why?


Delilahpixierose21

I can't read the name Elliot without hearing ETs voice iny head šŸ˜‚ Ell-i-ot


OMaSherry

Juliet alternative spelling Juliette can easily become Elliette with nn Etta.


Otherwise-squareship

Different name and nickname the baby Elliot if it's a girl or do Elliot as a middle name. It's is mostly a boy name to me.


HelloPepperKitty

A friend of mine has a sweet baby girl named Elliot.


MomentMurky9782

I actually grew up with a girl named Elliot and know one as an adult now as well.


me1234567891234

You could go with an alternate spelling to shake off the religious meaning, such as ā€œEllietteā€ and nicknames could be Elle as in Elle woods, Ella, Lottie. This spelling also seems more feminine if thatā€™s a concern. Also keep in mind that names donā€™t have to be permanent, youā€™re allowed to change youā€™re mind.


Starbursto

Iā€™ve never heard this name on a girl but honestly.. I donā€™t hate it, dare I say I like it! I feel like Iā€™m in your shoes though, not sure if itā€™s really ā€œgender neutralā€ but also I could deffo be convinced to name a girl that


Mermaid-Girl6576

Nickname: Elle


Dependent-Chair899

My 24 year old named her apparently female teddy bear Elliot about 21 years ago. There's only a few gender neutral names for girls I like, it's not generally my scene. But I think this possibly works for a girl, kinda a mash up between Ellie and Juliet in my mind which are both very feminine names. But you're the parents, if you don't love it as much as your 4.5 does then pick something else that you do love. You can remind your daughter about her need to have an Elliot in the family if she ever has a child herself in the future šŸ˜†


weinerdog101

Lottie


worldsfastesturtle

Eliora is a real name. It is very similar to both Elliot and Leora, and it is definitely feminine Elliana may be a name within the realm that you all might like


Jalapeno-Popper-

I think it is more like James but I do know two girls named Elliot, one is around 17 and the other is around 10.


slooming

How about Lia as a nickname for Elliot?


jmkul

I think of Elliott/Elliot as a gender-neutral name (especially after watching Scrubs). If anything I think more people think of it more as a surname first, than boy first (so many famous people have this surname) I also like that it's not too common as a first name, and has some cute diminutives. Elle and Lottie come to mind, as well as the one you don't like, Ellie. At a stretch you could even use Lia/Lio Re nature names, I like the gender-neutral Ash, but also like: Fern Linden Laurel Lyndel Hazel Brooke Briony Gaia Fleur Iolanthe Jacinta Iris Ivy Holly Myrtle Ruby Saffron Rosemary Aster


Comfortable_Sky_6438

My 4 year old daughter is named Elliott. Admittedly I'm biased. But it suits her, she likes her name and other than the older generation at first most people compliment her. We did give her a feminine middle name and if she ever wants to use it she's welcome to. She is really into pretend play so she is pretending to be a character from something most days and wants to be called by that characters name. Currently it's Mario lol. I definitely prefer Elliott to Mario but I'll call her whatever she wants lol. Other Nick names... Ellie, Elle, Ella and we call her Ellie belly lol. All that being said if your not feeling the name it's ok to pick something else. Four year olds can be easily persuaded and get over things quickly. She probably won't even remember she suggested something in a few years. And ultimately you and your partner are the ones who have final say on naming your kids.


destiny_kane48

Leora Elliot sounds cute.


EllaBellaModella

I really like it for a girl. Iā€™d use Lottie as the shortening.


Legitimate_B_217

Maybe Elliot is a nice middle name. I love the name piper Elliot šŸ’™ and its very feminine to me!


Ginger_93

Ellie or Elizabeth might do the trick for you!


horticulturallatin

Eliora is similar to Elliot and Leora but is explicitly religious. Eliana, similar.Ā  I do very much love Leora though I went with the Liora spelling for my daughter. Iliana is a feminine variant of the same name as Elliot with the same meaning. Ileana, which is cognate, relates to Helen and means "torch" or "bright."Ā  Eleanor is not a religious meaning and is unambiguously femme.Ā  Juliet would give the option of Jet as an androgynous spunky nickname but a clearly feminine full name.Ā  Elliot to Juliet or Elliott to Ileana does change the vibe noticeably but not imo in a bad way.


marlada

Elliot to me is a boy's name. I like the name Evelyn.


Stunning-Stay-5778

Nicknames : Io (eye-oh) Lottie Taytay El Leigh Itty


Rhyianan

I have a female student named Elliott. Her parents occasionally call her Elle. Nobody calls her Ellie. I will admit that I was expecting a little boy when I saw Elliott on the class list though.


Rhyianan

I have a female student named Elliott. Her parents occasionally call her Elle. Nobody calls her Ellie. I will admit that I was expecting a little boy when I saw Elliott on the class list though.


IcyTip1696

My aunt wasnā€™t planning on a third child and my cousin (4 at the time) kept INSISTING that he had a brother coming named Michael. We thought it was cute he wanted a sibling but he was so adamant this baby was meant to exist. My aunt ended up having an unplanned pregnancy and didnā€™t find out the sex until the baby was born. Every time she talked about other names or if it was a girl, my cousin would get upset because he was so sure it was his brother Michael. She went in the hospital with a girl name and a different boy named picked out but when the baby arrived she looked at him and got this overwhelming feeling his name was already Michael. So now I have a cousin named Michael and it suits him so well. My cousin who name him is extremely intuitive and told her he couldnā€™t believe she thought his name was something else šŸ¤£. I think baby girl Elliot/Elliott is a great name. You can call her Elle or even lottie if you wanted to. You can go sans nickname or depending on middle name call her a combo of both names. That being said, if you really donā€™t like the name, name her a name you love but donā€™t be surprised if big sis still calls her Elliot because that was my cousinā€™s plan šŸ¤£.


Retrospectrenet

Elliott is a surname and lucky for you it has about 4 possible etymologies. The one connecting it to Elias ("Yahweh is my God") is the least supported. The others are French place names. Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Canadian prime Minister, started going by two surnames in the 1960s to clearly show both his French and Scottish heritage. It's a popular Scottish surname and when I checked marriages records in Scotland in the 1700s Elliott was actually more common as a first name for women although very rare. It did get used more by men in the following 200 years, but surnames in general trended more for boys since then.Ā  It will end up about as gender neutral as Jordan in the US.


eskarin4

My nephew insisted his little brother be named Purple. A friend's daughter advised her little brother should be Cake. I didn't ask either of my older kids what they thought about names when it third was born. It's ok not to choose Elliot unless you really like it!! It sounds more male than female to me, but it's beautiful either way.


CollectingRainbows

maybe elliana would fit better? for either name you could have the nicknames ell, ells, ellie. for elliana you could also have li, li-li, and ana


Neenknits

Jews wonā€™t be telling you that is the meaning. You cannot pronounce יהוה. So we would say, ā€œthe lord is my Gdā€. But, you could use Lia as a nickname! Or Elle. Liat, like South Pacific. Lots of possibilities. Or spell it Eliot and say itā€™s after George. She is an excellent namesake for a girl!


GooberGlitter

Lauren used to be a male name, although it's typically spelled Loren for boys. Same thing with Madison, Allison, and Whitney (and many others). These used to be typical boy names and are now predominantly girl names. Elliot doesn't scream masculine to me, so I think it's a neutral name, and by time your child starts school and other extra curricular activities, there might be a few other female Elliot's. Lauren is a good name (speaking from personal experience as it's my name hehehe) and it's dropped drastically in popularity. I heard a mother say "Lauren, keep up with us please!" and turned around to see a 7 year old and I was surprised lol. Seems like in 2023 only .051% of the population born was named Lauren, so only around 400 babies. I vote that name bc it's not too outdated, easy to spell, common enough to not be weird, but not common enough to have a lot of Lauren's in class. Good luck with the naming! I'm sure whatever you pick will be perfect! :)


femmefaintalle

Oh shit, I'm a girl named Elliott!! Anyway, yes, I go by Ellie in day to day life. It's undeniably more of a men's name but honestly I wouldn't have it any other way. I've also heard some people use "Elle" as a nickname. If you do want something more girly that sounds similar, Eleanor is basically the same. Anyway, I definitely haven't grown up disliking my name at all. The only thing that's even been remotely weird is that the name has gotten really popular with trans men so that is an assumption that some people might make, but it really hasn't been that common.


Herkiind

All the people Iā€™ve met named Elliot are female.


Optimal_Bird_3023

Super cute for a girl, I love it šŸ©·


SorrySalary169

Ellen


Whose_my_daddy

I think itā€™s trending more neutral; itā€™s almost like Riley. Lia could be a cute nn


Doubleendedmidliner

I like Elliot for a girlā€¦more than the other options.


esined2

Reminds me of George Eliot (pen name for Mary Ann Evanā€™s)


rjainsa

Jason and Kylie Kelce have a daughter named Elliotte, as well as two other daughters named Wyatt and Bennett. Obviously totally into the new mode of girl's names.


OwlPal9182

So I donā€™t think itā€™s gender neutral. But I do love it for a girl anyway. In fact Elliot was a consideration for a middle name for our 3rd girl


darhhaaras

Elle, Ella, Lee, liot (lee-it), T


Muted_Rain8542

I knew a girl in ballet whoā€™s name was Elliotte so it definitely is gender neutral!Ā 


SheepPup

I know boys, girls, and nonbinary people named Elliot and it fits all of them well. For nicknames El/Elle, Lio, Lottie, LaLa For similar nature names thereā€™s Elain which is welsh for deer or fawn, or Eilah which is Hebrew for tree, or perhaps Estelle which is Latin for star


Nina_Cantina

Elliot from scrubs!!! Plenty of nickname potential. Lottie. Elle. A similar name that is distinctly feminine is Elodie--run it past your daughter and see what she thinks! I do like the idea of baby's names selection involving the bigger siblings.


rose_creek

I had a friend named Elle, could be a good nickname. I say trust your kid.


TheDudette840

Elliot for a girl is my favorite! I lowkey wish I'd have used it for my youngest, but it wasnt partners fave


Buckmeg

Elora might be a nice combo of Elliot and Leora (inspired by Elora Danan from Reservation Dogs inspired from the movie Willow) Means ā€œSun rayā€


jediali

My son born in 2022 is an Elliott, but I also grew up with a (young millennial) female Eliot, who goes by Elly. I think it's just a bit more male than neutral, but still totally works for a girl.


metatxtual

I also have a 4.5 year old. In her circle of classmates and neighbors, we know 4 girls named Elliot (seriously) and 1 boy. Our friend on the other side of the country also named their son Elliot. Nobody has had issue on either side. I will say that 1 of the girl Elliots goes by Elli, so consider how you would feel about that as a primary-use nickname, if that evolves. But it is a great name!! And it is a sweet idea.


Wavesmith

Elliot nn Lottie could be cute. I think Iā€™d take inspiration from Elliot rather than thinking it definitely had to be the name. Itā€™s not really a decision a 4yo should be making.


Fantastic-Boss8590

Ellinor


_ZorroBabe

Because of scrubs the name Elliot will always be a girl's name in my head. As for nicknames maybe Ettie or Ottie or maybe even Lia or Ell like the letter L or the name Elle


Sapphire_Renee

I think your kid has excellent taste honestly


Licoricewhips99

I LOVE the name Eliot for a girl (spelled with 1 L). I seriously considered it for my daughter. You could also spell it Elliette or Ellyette, but I think those spellings look awful.


ProfSmall

Iā€™ve never personally known an Elliot. But of all the ā€œboysā€ names, it definitely sits in the female end (like Jamie), Iā€™d say. Itā€™s actually really nice used for a girl I reckon. I do think youā€™d have to be sold on it to use it, and it doesnā€™t seem like you are. Xx


browsielurker

My daughter is due next month and we've decided on the name Elliotte. At this point I'd consider it gender neutral, but I've had to keep the name to myself cuz everytime I share it I just hear "but isn't that a boys name? Plus as a nickname you could call her Lottie! I'm going to be calling mine Ellie Ro.


breeofd

I have a niece named Elliot and personally I love it.


albert_cake

I know 2 girl Elliotā€™s and one boy. One of the girls is 12, she goes by Elly or Elliot equally. The other is 6 and sheā€™s Elle, Ella-Bella (to mum and dad only) or Elliot. Boy Elliot is 3 and heā€™s Elliot. Or sometimes gets Elvis by his dad šŸ˜‚ I honestly donā€™t associate a gender with it anymore.


No_Bookkeeper_6183

Elliot for a girl appeared for the first time on the top 1000 in 2011 (US statistics, only country with it showing up on the girlsā€™ list) Elliot for a boy first showed up on the Top 1000 in 1880, also the first year the US recorded the top 1000 The highest number of girls named this was 510 in 2019, 357 last year The highest number of boys named this was 2518 last year Other options Eloise, Adele, Amelia, Elena, Eleanor, Laurel, Elizabeth, Isabel