Name of the Week: Elsie

 

Origin:

Elsie started out in Scotland as a pet-form of Elspeth, a Scottish variant of Elizabeth. Elizabeth is the English form of the Latin Elizabetha, from the Greek Elisabet, itself from the Hebrew Elisheba (el "God" and shaba "to swear, to promise an oath.") The English surname Elsie, Elsey and Elcy derives from the Old English masculine name Ælfsige, derived from ælf "elf" and sige "victory."

Usage:

Elsie can be found in Scotland from at least the 16th century. "Elsie" is more commonly found in marriage or death records than birth records, suggesting that these women were baptised "Elizabeth" but known as Elsie. In some early cases, where Elsie is listed as the given name in a baptism, the mother's name is Elizabeth — so its use as a pet-name is evident.  Elsie also appears in baptisms in England from the 16th century in small numbers. In many cases, these baptism are in counties bordering Scotland — they are particularly concentrated in Durham and Northumberland — so it is easy to think that the Scottish Elsie was meant here. In other cases, the name is listed as "Elce," "Else," or "Elcie" which suggests that the name may have been used as a form of Alice, especially given that Ellis was used as a variant of Alice at this time. We should also not rule out that Elsie developed independently as a pet-form of Elizabeth in parts of England during this time.  It was in the 19th century that Elsie caught on as a given name in its own right. This happened first in Scotland. Data from the 1881 census (image right) shows that Elsie was most common in the north of Scotland in 1881, especially when we look at the proportion used per 100,000 people.  It was during the end of the 19th century that Elsie began to rapidly rise in popularity in England, as birth registrations show: 1860: 1870: 1880: 1890: 1900: 1904: 1914: 1924: 1934: #250 #146 #66  #14  #7 #10 #7 #17 #51 (13 births) (131 births) (1137 births) (7281 births) (13183 births) 1944: *Out of top 100* By 1880, Elsie had reached the top 100 in England and Wales, having increased almost 100 fold in numbers over the previous two decades. By 1890 it was #14 and was a top ten favourite from 1900 to 1914. After that, it slowly began to decline, leaving the top 100 in 1944.  In 1996, Elsie ranked #823 with 27 births in England and Wales. It gradually rose from that point, reaching the top 500 by 2003. After that, Elsie picked up apace and swiftly progressed up the ranks, returning to the the top 100 again in 2011 when it ranked #88 with 699 births. By 2014, Elsie continued to rise up to #32 (1497 births). In 2015, it ranked #33, and, though it had moved down one rank, the birth count increased to 1513 births.  Conversely, by 1900 when it was #7 in England, Elsie only ranked #44 in Scotland. Perhaps this is because it had already had its peak in previous decades, and so was beginning to fall out of fashion. By 1950 it was no longer in the Scottish top 100.  From 1974 to 2000, only 17 girls were named Elsie in Scotland. In 2005, however, it rose up to #459 (6 births) and was #185 (24 births) in 2012. It first entered the top 100 again in 2015 at #84 (61 births).

Famous Bearers:

History: * Elsie Inglis (1864-1917), innovative Scottish doctor, suffragist, and founder of the Scottish Women's Hospitals. * Elsie Leslie (1881-1966) an American actress. * Elsie Ferguson (1883-1961), American stage and film actress. * Lily Elsie, born Elsie Hodder (1886-1962), English actress. * Elsie Janis (1889-1956), American singer, songwriter, actress, and screenwriter. * Elsie Jane Wilson (1890–1965), a New Zealand-born cinema actress, director, and writer. * Elsie MacGill (1905-1980), a Canadian aeronautical engineer and the first female aircraft designer. Contemporary: * Elsie Lefebvre (born 1979), Quebec politician. Literature and Other Media: * Elsie Tanner (1960-1973, 1976-1984), character played by Patricia Phoenix on soap Coronation Street. * Elsie-Dee, fictional character appearing in Marvel Comics, and an ally of Wolverine. * Elsie Dinsmore, titular character in the Elsie Dinsmore series by Martha Finley. * Elsie Hughes, the housekeeper on the series Downton Abbey.

Variants:

Elsey, Elsi, Elsy

Pronunciation:

EL-see [key]

Possible  longer forms:

Elizabeth, Elspeth, Eloise, Elissa, Elysia, Elisheva, Elisheba, Anneliese, Alessandra, Aracelis, Esmeralda, Melisande

Sibling Names:

Florence     Ivy     Betsy     Nancy     Martha     Ruby  Stanley     Archie     Teddy     Arthur     Louis     Freddie

Name Lists:

Victorian Darlings   Dulcet Dainties

  

If you like Elsie you may also like:   Edie, Cecily, Dulcie, Effie, Esme, Pansy, Hebe, Kitty, Posy, Minnie

 

Thanks to Abigail for requesting this name.