The name Eliot has its origins in the medieval English form of the biblical name Elijah. It is derived from the Hebrew name Eliyahu, which means "my God is Yahweh." The name Elijah is found in the Old Testament, where he was a prominent prophet during the reign of King Ahab in the 9th century BCE.

The earliest recorded use of the name Eliot can be traced back to the 12th century in England. It was initially a surname, with the first known bearer being Eliot of Naburn, who lived in Yorkshire in the late 12th century. Over time, the surname Eliot gradually transitioned into a given name.

One of the earliest and most notable individuals named Eliot was Sir Thomas Elyot, an English scholar and diplomat who lived from 1490 to 1546. He is best known for his work "The Book Named the Governor," which discussed the ideal education and conduct of a Renaissance gentleman.

In the 17th century, the name gained prominence with John Eliot, known as the "Apostle to the Indians." He was a Puritan missionary born in 1604 who dedicated his life to converting Native Americans to Christianity and translating the Bible into their language.

The 19th century saw the rise of several influential individuals with the name Eliot. George Eliot, born Mary Ann Evans in 1819, was a renowned English novelist who wrote classics such as "Middlemarch" and "Silas Marner." Thomas Stearns Eliot, better known as T.S. Eliot, was a celebrated poet and literary critic born in 1888, famous for works like "The Waste Land" and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."

In the 20th century, the name Eliot gained further recognition. T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, was a British military officer and writer born in 1888, renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt during World War I. Eliot Ness, born in 1903, was an American Prohibition agent who led the famous team known as "The Untouchables" in their fight against Al Capone's criminal empire in Chicago.