Elsie Ferguson, Photoplay magazine, Image via Wikipedia
If Sadie is stylish, is it any wonder this name is making a comeback?
Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting Elsie as Baby Name of the Day.
Elsie is a short form of Elizabeth, one that makes more sense if you consider variants where the “s” remains, of which there are plenty: think of Elisabeth, Elisaveta, and Elspeth. Nickname forms from Beth to Betsy to Libby to Liza have been bestowed independently for generations.
Elsie peaked at #31 in 1896/1897, and remained in the Top 100 through 1933. She was falling out of favor in the 1930s, but her departure was hastened by a cow.
Borden, Inc. was a huge food company with its roots in dairy products. In the 1930s, they adopted a mascot – a cow called Elsie. She made a major appearance at the World’s Fair in 1939, and featured in the 1940 film adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott book Little Men.
Elsie was a sensation. For a few years, you could even visit Elsie and her family at Freedomland USA, an Americana-themed park in the Bronx.
The name would have faded in time, but the bovine association cratered Elsie. She departed the US Top 1000 entirely by 1975.
By the 1990s, the Borden company had been dismantled. Elsie soldiers on as the spokescow for the Dairy Farmers of America, and still graces the packaging of Borden-brand products. But they’re far less common, and schoolkids may no longer moo at a girl called Elsie.
In fact, Elsie is already back, re-entering the US Top 1000 in 2005 at #920 and climbing rapidly to #679 in 2009.
There’s no shortage of nineteenth century Elsies to inspire parents, including:
- Actresses Elsie Baker, whose career spanned eight decades, and the “Aristocrat of the Silent Screen,” Elsie Ferguson;
- Singers Elsie Carlisle and Elsie Janis;
- Groundbreaking Scottish doctor Elsie Inglis;
- Fictional Elsie Dinsmore, a good-as-gold little girl whose mother is dead and father is elsewhere at the beginning of the long series. References to Dinsmore are everywhere, including an O. Henry parody;
- Elsie de Wolfe is credited with inventing the craft of interior design;
- Elsie Oxenham wrote a beloved collection of young adult novels known as the Abbey Series;
- Elsie Clews Parsons helped found The New School, after years of studying Native American tribes in the American Southwest.
But I can’t help suspect one more factor propelling Elsie out of the barnyard and back into fashion.
In 2004, Lauren Conrad first appeared on MTV reality show Laguna Beach. By 2006, she was a major reality star on The Hills. Her nickname on Laguna Beach? L.C., now the name of her fashion line for Kohl’s.
Not that parents named babies in honor of Conrad. The sounds of Elsie – L.C. – were all of a sudden associated with all sorts of attractive qualities rather than the less appealing characteristics of cows. Factor in her vintage style, the appeal of informal names ending in -ie and what do you have?
A name that could continue to rise.
Love the vintage style of this name. Its short, sweet and feminine. I see the little girl that wears this name to be in Mary Janes and have cute curls and a few freckles. I also think it will age well and look very nice on a grown woman.
…i just love elsie, and would definitely use it as a nn for elisabeth, but what do you think about elsie as a nn for anneliese?
For Anneliese, I would expect Elise to be to El- nickname. Elsie and Anneliese are both lovely, but to unrelated for me.
I think it works. Anneliese is a combination of Anne and Elisabeth. Since Elsie comes from Elisabeth, the names are historically related.
I agree with Emmy Jo. It isn’t an obvious nickname, but since Anneliese’s roots point to Elizabeth, it seems reasonable. And if think about the simplified American spelling Annelise, then you have Elise right there – even closer to Elsie.
I can definitely see this catching on. I do think its cute, but I much prefer Elsa as a stand alone name.
I know a little girl named Elsie – She’s 5 years old, blonde hair, the most endearing personality. It was the first time I’d heard the name, so I have nothing but positive associations with this one.
I didn’t comment on the Thanksgiving Day contest because I feel that my knowledge of American Thanksgiving is a little too limited (my favourite suggestions were those related to “golden” and the clever word-play done with Merci). However, I did think that if I had to give my child a Thanksgiving Day-related name, I would choose to name him/her after my maternal grandparents. Why? Because they were both farmers; Canadian Thanksgiving takes place in October in honour of the harvest. That would make my naming options Henry and Elsie, so I was pleasantly surprised to see Elsie listed as today’s BNotD! Actually, should this baby be a girl, I do plan on using Elsie somewhere in her name, not only because of my maternal grandmother, but also in honour of my Oma, whose name was Elisabeth.
What a happy coincidence, Charlotte!
My cousin and her husband had Elsie on their short list for their last girl (she ended up being Tessa!), and I was like ummmm….but it had started to grow on me by the time they decided on Tessa. I convinced my cousin that she would have been named after me. My middle name is Elizabeth, so I thought that Elsie was a play on that.
I don’t know if I would use Elsie as a stand alone, but it is a cute nickname for Elizabeth. I also like Elzie (Ell-ZEE) as a variant. I don’t know if it’s a legit variation or not, but I like it!
I love Tessa – actually, I love Tess.
Elzie could be cute – emphasis on the ZEE, right? For Eliza, too …
If Sadie can lead to Zadie, why not Elsie and Elzie?
I do like Elsie a lot. If I were the sort that didn’t mind Sadie or Minnie as stand-alones, I’d have no problem with Elsie. I think I’d tend to opt for a longer form, though. Elsa or Elisa or Eliza or Elizabeth would all work for me.
A family friend has granddaughters named Emily and Elsie. I’ve always thought that it was a pleasant sounding sib-set.
Elsie may becoming more popular, but when I hear the name I think of cows.
Friends of ours considered Elsie for a daughter about five years ago. I had the same initial reaction, but it grew on me, and it was a family name so they really thought it might work. (They ultimately named their daughter Piper.)
I adore Elsie! My Great Aunt was Elsie, nickname for Elspeth (I like her sibset too: Leslie, Elspeth, Henrietta & James).
My Grandpop Leslie married a girl named Elisabeth, nn Lily.
I almost settled on Lily Elspeth ___ for Josephine, but changed at the 12th hour. If there’s a second girl ever, I am seriously considering Elspeth, nn Elsie (or at least Elspeth in the middle). Elsie is sweet, spunky and fresh. Some may say ‘farm fresh’ but cows are on my kitchen curtains and my cookie jar ‘moooos’at me, so that just seems wholesome to me.
I love Elspeth – great name!
I love Elsa and find it substanial enough to stand on its own. Elsie is too fluffy for me but makes a sweet nickname.
A friend of mine recently named her daughter Elsie to honour her grandmother and I had a similar reaction to you guys but Elsie has really grown on me – she has such a sweet sound.
Appellation Mountain: Has Tessa been a name of the day before? If not, could you pencil her in? Many thanks.
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