The surname Elliot, found in Ireland, England and Scotland, is derived from a Middle English personal name, Elyat, Elyt. This represents at least two Old English personal names which have fallen together: the male name A{dh}elgeat (composed of the elements a{dh}el ‘noble’ + Geat, a tribal name and the female personal name A{dh}elg¯{dh} (composed of the elements a{dh}el ‘noble’ + g¯{dh} ‘battle’).The first written reference to the name is in 1257 when William Elyot, was a  witness in the "Assize Court Rolls of Somerset." In Ireland the name is most prevalent in counties Fermanagh and Donegal. Today there are approximately 9,000 bearers of the surname Elliot living in The United States.