A vintage revival with beloved sound elements and a mischievous young namesake, Eloise’s future is looking quite promising thanks to the 100 year rule. Despite her questionable meaning, Eloise is leaping up the charts and shows no sign of stopping. Propelled by the trend of names with a vintage vibe and her many modern nicknames and short forms, will Eloise become the next beloved classic, or will her sudden spike in popularity leave her a washed up trend? Today, I’m exploring the pros and cons of this sweetly feminine moniker and predicting where she’s going in future data.
Why is Eloise so exceptional?
We’ve adored Ella. We’re just starting to recognize Louise as trendy. And it just so happens that Eloise peaked in 1921, factoring in the 100 year rule as well, the belief that 100 years after a name peaks in popularity, it will begin to see use again. But although she contains elements from two beloved names, she’s far from made-up. Some believe she comes from Louise, a name meaning “warrior,” but that origin hasn't yet been confirmed. However, sounds, short forms, and time are all in her favor. It’s no wonder she’s had so much success lately. To be specific, she jumped from #999 in 2008 to #527 in 2010, then most recently ranked at #167, a pretty astounding jump for a name that disappeared from the charts for over 40 years.
Elegant but with a playful edge, this appellation contains the possible nicknames Ellie and Lulu, which are both well-loved and well-used short forms for many names. Likely, one of the factors that propelled Eloise to popularity is the demand for a full name for Ellie or Lulu. Not only that, Eloise fits right in with Adeline, Lousia, Eliza, and other gorgeous girl names with a vintage twist that are currently gaining in popularity. One of the more notable namesakes of Eloise is the mischievous young girl created by author Kay Thompson who stirred up trouble at the plaza during her four book series and movies. Due to the books, Eloise is a nostalgic name for some people, as well, which also could have contributed to the rise of Eloise.
Wow, Eloise sure checks a lot of boxes. Why isn’t everyone using her?
Well, right off the bat, there’s the wheeze sound at the end of the name, and while many of Eloise’s nicknames are modern and sweet, Weezy isn’t one of them. Overall, the wheeze sound pushes Eloise from cutely vintage to old lady for some people. Another issue with this name is one of her possible origins. It’s very likely that Eloise originated from the old Germanic name Helewidis, which is composed of elements that translate roughly to “wide,” which isn’t necessarily meaningful for most people and can even be looked at as an insult. Even for people who don’t put a lot of thought into the meaning of the name they’ve chosen, or can look past it because it won’t be a part of their child’s daily life, there’s still a trendiness concern for any name that has risen so steadily.
Even though the sounds are quite timeless and classically feminine, the beautiful timeless quality may be replaced with the qualities of a trashy old trend if Eloise continues to climb. Because Eloise is getting so popular today, people will associate the name with people born this decade as opposed to a baby in time, and the name will plummet in use. Many parents today look for a unique or timeless name, so a name with such a sudden spike in popularity may not appeal to parents searching for a more steady or uncommon choice. Because of all of the focus on finding a unique name recently, parents are putting a lot of weight into finding a name that is fairly obscure, so top 200 isn’t great when it comes to that credential.
Predictions For Eloise:
Personally, I don’t especially like Eloise due to the “wheeze” sound. However, I do believe that she will continue to climb the charts due to her familiar sound and lovely nickname options. I think that her rate of growth might not be as fast as it was in the late 2000s, because having a unique name is becoming more and more of a necessity on many parents’ lists, but I don’t doubt that Eloise could easily crack #150 in a few years. And the reason she is so popular is because other people love the name, too, so I wouldn’t shy away from using it just because it may get more popular.
Sincerely,
~Delphina Moon
Do you like the name Eloise? Which nickname do you prefer: Ellie, or Lou/Lulu?
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