Head to head · Boys' names
Elliott vs Emilio
#160 vs #154 in 2025
Emilio is a whisker ahead (#154 vs #160 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Emilio is climbing the charts fast, Elliott is holding its place on the charts.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Emilio leads 4 measures of 6; Elliott leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Elliott #413, Emilio #863 — Elliott higher
- 1890s: Elliott #383, Emilio #949 — Elliott higher
- 1900s: Elliott #396, Emilio #731 — Elliott higher
- 1910s: Elliott #427, Emilio #606 — Elliott higher
- 1920s: Elliott #435, Emilio #519 — Elliott higher
- 1930s: Elliott #429, Emilio #539 — Elliott higher
- 1940s: Elliott #389, Emilio #612 — Elliott higher
- 1950s: Elliott #475, Emilio #624 — Elliott higher
- 1960s: Elliott #500, Emilio #616 — Elliott higher
- 1970s: Elliott #526, Emilio #586 — Elliott higher
- 1980s: Elliott #391, Emilio #547 — Elliott higher
- 1990s: Elliott #455, Emilio #368 — Emilio higher
- 2000s: Elliott #451, Emilio #309 — Emilio higher
- 2010s: Elliott #227, Emilio #281 — Elliott higher
- 2020s: Elliott #164, Emilio #189 — Elliott higher
Elliott stood higher in 13 of 15 decades; Elliott has held the lead since the 2010s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Elliott | Emilio |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #413 | #863 |
| 1890s | #383 | #949 |
| 1900s | #396 | #731 |
| 1910s | #427 | #606 |
| 1920s | #435 | #519 |
| 1930s | #429 | #539 |
| 1940s | #389 | #612 |
| 1950s | #475 | #624 |
| 1960s | #500 | #616 |
| 1970s | #526 | #586 |
| 1980s | #391 | #547 |
| 1990s | #455 | #368 |
| 2000s | #451 | #309 |
| 2010s | #227 | #281 |
| 2020s | #164 | #189 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Elliott
From a medieval English form of Elias — that is, Elijah, Hebrew for "my God is Yahweh"
The main line is clear: the surname Elliott comes from Elyot/Eliot, a medieval English pet form of Elias, the Greek and Latin spelling of Elijah. A smaller share of Elliott families trace instead to the Old English personal name Ælfwald, "elf-ruler." Both routes are documented, and a given Elliott today can honestly claim either.
Eliyahu → Elias → Elyot → Eliot → Elliott
How it traveled
Elijah reached western Europe as Elias, through the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible and then the Latin one, and medieval English speakers clipped and softened it into Elyot. Names like that hardened into hereditary surnames in England and along the Scottish border, where Elliot became one of the great riding-clan names of the frontier country.
Emilio
from the Roman family name Aemilius, usually read as 'rival, striving to equal'
The standard reading connects Aemilius to Latin aemulus, 'rival' or 'emulating'. But Aemilius is itself an old patrician clan name, and clan names of that age often predate the Latin words they resemble; some scholars have instead linked it to Greek haimylios, 'winning, persuasive in speech'. Neither reading has closed the case.
Aemilius → Aemilianus → Emilius → Emilio
How it traveled
The Aemilii were one of the patrician families of the Roman Republic, and their name outlived them in stone: the Via Aemilia, laid across northern Italy in the second century BC, gave its name to the region still called Emilia-Romagna. Early Christian saints named Aemilianus and Aemilius kept the name in church calendars through the Middle Ages, and it settled into Italian and Spanish as Emilio, into French as Émile, into German and Polish as Emil.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Elliott
EL-ee-ut
Stress on the first syllable. All three spellings — Elliott, Elliot, Eliot — are said the same way, and the final syllable is a light "ut," not "ott."
- Eli — The most common short form, and a fully established given name in its own right, so an Elliott who uses it will meet others who were christened Eli.
- Ell — Informal, family-and-friends use; works equally for a boy or a girl.
- Ellie — Used mainly for girls named Elliott; almost always informal.
- Elliott — Frequently used in full, including in casual speech — the name resists shortening more than most three-syllable names.
Emilio
eh-MEE-lyoh
In Spanish and Italian the -lio glides into one quick syllable. English speakers often say eh-MEE-lee-oh, with four syllables; both are widely understood and the stress stays on the MEE either way.
- Emi — The everyday short form in Spanish-speaking families; informal, used mostly within the household.
- Milo — Clipped from the second half; also a fully established given name in English on its own.
- Emilito — Spanish affectionate diminutive, generally used by family and for young children.
- Emil — The standalone German, Polish and Scandinavian form, sometimes used as a shortening in English contexts.
- Also Lio.
Who has carried each name
Elliott
Elliott Smith (b. 1969) — Indie songwriting legend ("Miss Misery")
Elliott Gould (b. 1938) — M*A*S*H star
Emilio
Emilio Estevez (b. 1962) — The Breakfast Club and Mighty Ducks star
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Elliott if you want…
- a name holding steadyElliott is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesElliott is 3 syllables to Emilio's 4
- a long American recordElliott was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Emilio if you want…
- a name on the way upup 75 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itEmilio runs 4 syllables, Elliott 3
- a newer arrivalEmilio entered the US charts in 1882
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Elliott
Strengths
- An unbroken presence in American records since counting began, without ever spiking into a fashion — the curve beside you is unusually level for a name this familiar.
- Instantly recognizable and easy to say on first hearing, with no pronunciation to teach anyone.
- Eli is a ready-made short form that stands on its own, so the name comes with a built-in casual register.
To consider
- Three spellings compete — Elliott, Elliot, Eliot — and all three are legitimate. Expect a lifetime of "two Ls and two Ts," and of mail arriving with one of each.
- For a girl, this is the same surname traveling the other way rather than a separate name, and most people will assume a boy on paper. That is workable, but worth deciding on deliberately rather than being surprised by it.
- The short form Eli sits in a crowded neighborhood with Eli, Elijah and Elias, so an Elliott who goes by Eli may not be the only one in the room even if the full name is.
Emilio
Strengths
- Spelled the same way in Spanish and Italian, and close to the German and Polish Emil — it travels across languages with almost no adjustment.
- Reads phonetically to most English speakers on a first look, even those who have never met one.
- Has real short forms already in circulation — Emi, Milo, Emilito — rather than ones a family has to invent.
To consider
- It sits very close to Emilia, Emily and Emiliano, all of them well used. Expect occasional mishearing, and a few people asking which one you said.
- English mouths tend to stretch it to four syllables and sometimes soften the opening vowel toward 'uh-MEE-lee-oh'. Nothing breaks, but the crisp Spanish version may need repeating in some rooms.
- Milo, the most natural English shortening, has become popular in its own right — a child may end up known by a name you did not exactly choose.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Elliott and Emilio in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Elliott and Emilio?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap
More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Elliott and Emilio — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Elliott or Emilio — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Elliott or Emilio?
- Emilio, in 2025: Emilio ranked #154 with 2,397 babies; Elliott ranked #160 with 2,287 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Elliott or Emilio?
- Emilio. Over the last five years Elliott moved down 2 places; Emilio moved up 75 places.
- Which is the older name, Elliott or Emilio?
- Elliott was already in use when US records began in 1880; Emilio entered the US charts in 1882. On the American record, Elliott is the older name.
- How many people are named Elliott and Emilio?
- About 54,000 people named Elliott are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 48,500 people named Emilio are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Elliotts or Emilios in the classroom?
- Elliott will almost certainly be the only one in school. Emilio will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Elliott, Emilio and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
Free to start · no account needed · everyone you invite votes in one tap