Head to head · Girls' names
Elliott vs Estelle
#599 vs #573 in 2025
Estelle is ahead (#573 vs #599 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Estelle is back after a long quiet spell, Elliott is stepping back from its peak.
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, Estelle leads 6 measures of 6; Elliott leads 0.
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 —, Estelle #133 — Estelle higher
- 1890s: Elliott —, Estelle #129 — Estelle higher
- 1900s: Elliott —, Estelle #121 — Estelle higher
- 1910s: Elliott #3976, Estelle #120 — Estelle higher
- 1920s: Elliott #4804, Estelle #178 — Estelle higher
- 1930s: Elliott #4255, Estelle #265 — Estelle higher
- 1940s: Elliott #4417, Estelle #414 — Estelle higher
- 1950s: Elliott #6086, Estelle #685 — Estelle higher
- 1960s: Elliott #6592, Estelle #1057 — Estelle higher
- 1970s: Elliott #7863, Estelle #1700 — Estelle higher
- 1980s: Elliott #7632, Estelle #2316 — Estelle higher
- 1990s: Elliott #6210, Estelle #3107 — Estelle higher
- 2000s: Elliott #3215, Estelle #2023 — Estelle higher
- 2010s: Elliott #810, Estelle #954 — Elliott higher
- 2020s: Elliott #590, Estelle #699 — Elliott higher
Estelle stood higher in 13 of 15 decades; Elliott has held the lead since the 2010s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Elliott | Estelle |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #133 |
| 1890s | — | #129 |
| 1900s | — | #121 |
| 1910s | #3976 | #120 |
| 1920s | #4804 | #178 |
| 1930s | #4255 | #265 |
| 1940s | #4417 | #414 |
| 1950s | #6086 | #685 |
| 1960s | #6592 | #1057 |
| 1970s | #7863 | #1700 |
| 1980s | #7632 | #2316 |
| 1990s | #6210 | #3107 |
| 2000s | #3215 | #2023 |
| 2010s | #810 | #954 |
| 2020s | #590 | #699 |
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.
Estelle
star
From Latin stella, 'star', by way of the Old French form Estelle.
Stella → Estelle → Estella → Estela
How it traveled
The root is the Latin stella, star, which gave Old French Estelle and the Spanish and Portuguese Estela. In southwestern France the name attached to Saint Estelle of Saintes, an early martyr venerated in the Charente region, and the form stayed alive in French and Occitan use for centuries.
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.
Estelle
eh-STEL
Stress on the second syllable in both English and French. French speakers say it much the same way, with a crisper final consonant.
- Essie — The traditional short form in English use; also given as a standalone name in earlier generations.
- Stella — Used informally as a short form, though it stands on its own as a full given name and is far more common that way.
- Elle — A modern clipping, informal, and independently in use as a given name.
- Es — Purely informal, family-and-friends level.
- Also Tellie.
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 fewer children share#599 in 2025 — elliott will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name past its most crowded yearsElliott is stepping back from its peak
- a name with more sound in itElliott runs 3 syllables, Estelle 2
- a newer arrivalElliott entered the US charts in 1917
Choose Estelle if you want…
- a name most people already know#573 in 2025, 523 babies that year
- a name on the way upup 226 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesEstelle is 2 syllables to Elliott's 3
- a long American recordEstelle was already in use when US records began in 1880
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.
Estelle
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds for most English speakers, with only the Estelle/Estella distinction to clarify.
- Has established short forms already in real use — Essie, Stella, Elle — rather than ones you would have to invent.
- Travels across French, Spanish and Portuguese with only a small change of spelling.
To consider
- It sits in a crowded neighborhood of sound: Estella, Estela, Stella and Esther are all close enough that people will occasionally reach for the wrong one, in speech and in writing.
- The great mass of American Estelles belongs to much older generations, so the name still reads as a grandmother-era one to many ears — which is precisely why it is coming back, but worth knowing.
- Stella is currently the far more familiar of the two, and an Estelle may find herself shortened to it by default unless the family sets a different habit early.
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 Estelle 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 Estelle?
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.
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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 these names appear on
- Names ending in -tt
- Grandmother-chic: 1920s names ready to return
- Celestial names: written in the stars
- Names that work in English and French
- all guides
Where Elliott and Estelle each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Elliott or Estelle — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Elliott or Estelle?
- Estelle, in 2025: Estelle ranked #573 with 523 babies; Elliott ranked #599 with 489 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Elliott or Estelle?
- Estelle. Over the last five years Elliott moved down 113 places; Estelle moved up 226 places.
- Which is the older name, Elliott or Estelle?
- Elliott entered the US charts in 1917; Estelle was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Estelle is the older name.
- How many people are named Elliott and Estelle?
- About 8,100 people named Elliott are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 14,000 people named Estelle are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Elliotts or Estelles in the classroom?
- Elliott will almost certainly be the only one in school. Estelle 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
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