Eloise is the English form of the Old French Heloise, which is of uncertain origin; it is usually explained from the Germanic elements hail and wid as "hale" or "healthy" and "wide". The 12th-century scholar Heloise is remembered for her love letters to Abelard, and Kay Thompson's 1955 children's books gave the name to a mischievous six-year-old living at the Plaza Hotel in New York. Eloise ranked number 2550 in the United States in 2000, entered the top 1000 in 2008 and climbed from number 254 in 2015 to number 49 among girls in 2025, its best rank ever.