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Help[Opinions] Names with -ot endings
The posts about Elliot and Charlotte reminded me that -ot and variations were common feminine diminutive suffixes in medieval English. I've put together a list of them, with the root name they derive from where known.
What do you think? Any that should come back?
Abelota (fem. of Abel)
Agote (Agatha)
Alot (Alice)
Alote (Alice)
Amelot (Emmeline)
Annote (Agnes)
Anot (Agnes)
Anote (Agnes)
Badelota
Barbot (Barbara)
Barbota (Barbara)
Belot (Isabel)
Blissot (Bliss)
Cissota (Cecilia)
Diota (Denise)
Dyot (Denise)
Dyota (Denise)
Ebbot (Isabel)
Ebota (Isabel)
Elisot (Elizabeth)
Elisota (Elizabeth)
Ellot (Ellen)
Ellota (Ellen)
Elota (Ellen)
Emelote (Emmeline)
Emmot (Emma)
Emmota (Emma)
Emmote (Emma)
Emota (Emma)
Enota
Euot (Eve)
Euota (Eve)
Evelot (Eve)
Evota (Eve)
Gillot (Gilia, fem. of Giles)
Gillota (Gilia, fem. of Giles)
Gunnota (Gunhilda)
Gunnote (Gunhilda)
Hibbot (Isabel)
Ibbot (Isabel)
Ibbota (Isabel)
Ibot (Isabel)
Ibota (Isabel)
Iselota (Yseult)
Isott (Yseult)
Iuotte (EDIT - fem. of Ivo)
Juhota (Julia)
Linota (Lena)
Lota
Lovota (Love)
Mabota (Mabel)
Maggot (Margaret)
Maggote (Margaret)
Magot (Margaret)
Magota (Margaret)
Magote (Margaret)
Magott (Margaret)
Mallot (Mary)
Malot (Mary)
Mariot (Mary)
Mariota (Mary)
Masota (fem. of Matthew)
Mazota (fem. of Matthew)
Megota (Margaret)
Minnota (Minna)
Molot (Mary)
Mott (Matilda)
Motte (Matilda)
Nota
Philota (Philippa)
Sibota (Sybil)
Sissota (Cecilia)
Tibota (Matilda)
Tillot (Matilda)
Tillote (Matilda)
Ybelote (Isabel)
Ybot (Isabel)
*****
Health care 🏥 Food and shelter 🥣🏠 Climate action 🌊
LGBTQIA+ acceptance 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ Accessibility & inclusion 🦽♾
…are human rights
Cats aren’t a human right, but they are pretty awesome 🐈⬛🐈⬛
What do you think? Any that should come back?
Abelota (fem. of Abel)
Agote (Agatha)
Alot (Alice)
Alote (Alice)
Amelot (Emmeline)
Annote (Agnes)
Anot (Agnes)
Anote (Agnes)
Badelota
Barbot (Barbara)
Barbota (Barbara)
Belot (Isabel)
Blissot (Bliss)
Cissota (Cecilia)
Diota (Denise)
Dyot (Denise)
Dyota (Denise)
Ebbot (Isabel)
Ebota (Isabel)
Elisot (Elizabeth)
Elisota (Elizabeth)
Ellot (Ellen)
Ellota (Ellen)
Elota (Ellen)
Emelote (Emmeline)
Emmot (Emma)
Emmota (Emma)
Emmote (Emma)
Emota (Emma)
Enota
Euot (Eve)
Euota (Eve)
Evelot (Eve)
Evota (Eve)
Gillot (Gilia, fem. of Giles)
Gillota (Gilia, fem. of Giles)
Gunnota (Gunhilda)
Gunnote (Gunhilda)
Hibbot (Isabel)
Ibbot (Isabel)
Ibbota (Isabel)
Ibot (Isabel)
Ibota (Isabel)
Iselota (Yseult)
Isott (Yseult)
Iuotte (EDIT - fem. of Ivo)
Juhota (Julia)
Linota (Lena)
Lota
Lovota (Love)
Mabota (Mabel)
Maggot (Margaret)
Maggote (Margaret)
Magot (Margaret)
Magota (Margaret)
Magote (Margaret)
Magott (Margaret)
Mallot (Mary)
Malot (Mary)
Mariot (Mary)
Mariota (Mary)
Masota (fem. of Matthew)
Mazota (fem. of Matthew)
Megota (Margaret)
Minnota (Minna)
Molot (Mary)
Mott (Matilda)
Motte (Matilda)
Nota
Philota (Philippa)
Sibota (Sybil)
Sissota (Cecilia)
Tibota (Matilda)
Tillot (Matilda)
Tillote (Matilda)
Ybelote (Isabel)
Ybot (Isabel)
*****
Health care 🏥 Food and shelter 🥣🏠 Climate action 🌊
LGBTQIA+ acceptance 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ Accessibility & inclusion 🦽♾
…are human rights
Cats aren’t a human right, but they are pretty awesome 🐈⬛🐈⬛
This message was edited 6/3/2025, 1:13 AM
Replies
Would Gillot be more likely from Julian? From Gillian? Jillet/Jillot is where the word jilt comes from. I've also read that the -ot diminutive wasn't necessarily feminine, so Gillot could just be a man's nickname.
https://dmnes.org/cite/Gillot/1429/WillsInv
https://dmnes.org/cite/Gillot/1429/WillsInv
(The DMNES is run by one of my close friends, and she sent me my copy of the book that was the source of the names in the article I drew on to create this list, so it’s all very interconnected over here 😂)
Oh yes I see now, an entry for Gilia! They do mention Juliana there too.
These are from confirmed sources - marked as feminine in the original. Gillot etc could also be from Julia variants but I trust the researcher who put the list I got these from together to have checked each individual use case.
I'm confused 😕
What are you confused about?
How do the ota names correlate with the real names?
They're nicknames / pet names based on medieval forms of the root name, usually by dropping the second half of the name and putting -ot in instead. Like Dorothy becoming Dolly or Margaret becoming Margie, etc.
Abel was masculine, and we don't know what the formal feminine was, but the nickname was Abelota
Agatha becomes Agote
Agnes was pronounced Annes, so becomes Annote / Anot / Anote
Barbara becomes Barbot / Barbota
Bliss just gains the diminutive and becomes Blissot
Cecilia variants were spelt dozens of ways in period including Cicily (Cissota) and Sisily (Sissota)
Denise is based on Dionysia, also Dyonysia, which become Diota / Diot / Dyota / Dyot etc
Elizabeth or Elisabeth becomes Elisot
Ellen drops the -en and becomes Ellot / Ellota / Elota etc
Emma = Emmot / Emmota / Emmote
Emmeline had loads of spellings also, including Ameline, so it becomes Amelot / Emelote etc
Eve was spelt Eue in period (v and u were interchangeable) so it becomes Euot and Euota as well as Evelot and Evota
Gilia loses its ending to become Gillot or Gillota
Gunhilda becomes Gunnota or Gunnote
Isabel is a bit different because the name gets its spelling changed and the name shortened or contracted before -ot is stuck on, so we get Bel = Belot, Esebel = Eb = Ebbot/Ebota, Hib = Hibbot, Ib = Ibbot / Ibot / Ibbota / Ibota, Ysabel = Ybel = Ybelote or Yb = Ybot, and so on
Ivo = unknown feminine form = Iuotte
Abel was masculine, and we don't know what the formal feminine was, but the nickname was Abelota
Agatha becomes Agote
Agnes was pronounced Annes, so becomes Annote / Anot / Anote
Barbara becomes Barbot / Barbota
Bliss just gains the diminutive and becomes Blissot
Cecilia variants were spelt dozens of ways in period including Cicily (Cissota) and Sisily (Sissota)
Denise is based on Dionysia, also Dyonysia, which become Diota / Diot / Dyota / Dyot etc
Elizabeth or Elisabeth becomes Elisot
Ellen drops the -en and becomes Ellot / Ellota / Elota etc
Emma = Emmot / Emmota / Emmote
Emmeline had loads of spellings also, including Ameline, so it becomes Amelot / Emelote etc
Eve was spelt Eue in period (v and u were interchangeable) so it becomes Euot and Euota as well as Evelot and Evota
Gilia loses its ending to become Gillot or Gillota
Gunhilda becomes Gunnota or Gunnote
Isabel is a bit different because the name gets its spelling changed and the name shortened or contracted before -ot is stuck on, so we get Bel = Belot, Esebel = Eb = Ebbot/Ebota, Hib = Hibbot, Ib = Ibbot / Ibot / Ibbota / Ibota, Ysabel = Ybel = Ybelote or Yb = Ybot, and so on
Ivo = unknown feminine form = Iuotte
Did you make these up? Or are they actually names?
They’re actual medieval names, drawn from here: https://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/reaney/
Fascinating! But not any that I'd welcome back into actual use: Alot for Alice, for instance, is really awful, and so are Malot and Molot for Mary. Minnota is almost an American state. Badelota ... almost a bad lot. Masota and Mazota are intriguing; I wonder why Matthew no longer exists in a female version. Philota ... One who removes bones from meat or fish?
Some of these are really interesting, but I can't say I'd be thrilled to see the trend come back. Some of these seem overly elaborate for nicknames to the point that they come across as wholly separate names.
Iselota seems nice, as does Sibota. I like Ybelote in concept.
Maggot is perhaps the most obvious bad choice here. I'd be curious to learn the history of the word maggot, and whether the really negative connotations were in place at that time. that seems like a really cruel choice for a pet form if that connotation was in place (unless we're talking Donald Trump and his continual reference to the NYT reporter Maggie Haberman as Maggot Haberman - cruel doesn't really cover that....)
Iselota seems nice, as does Sibota. I like Ybelote in concept.
Maggot is perhaps the most obvious bad choice here. I'd be curious to learn the history of the word maggot, and whether the really negative connotations were in place at that time. that seems like a really cruel choice for a pet form if that connotation was in place (unless we're talking Donald Trump and his continual reference to the NYT reporter Maggie Haberman as Maggot Haberman - cruel doesn't really cover that....)
This message was edited 6/2/2025, 11:38 AM
It looks like the name for the grub came after the nickname fell out of use: https://www.etymonline.com/word/maggot
That's a relief. Thanks for the info :)
I'm into it! I think a lot of these are fun tbh
Minus Maggot and it's variants, I don't think that's usable today lol Elota is also too close to elote for me, which is a food I love and can't help but associate with Elota... even though I quite like the sound lol
My favorites are the various Isobel and Yseult variants, especially Yseult. That name, and it's variants (particular the Cornish Eseld) is one of my favorite umbrella names out there.
Minus Maggot and it's variants, I don't think that's usable today lol Elota is also too close to elote for me, which is a food I love and can't help but associate with Elota... even though I quite like the sound lol
My favorites are the various Isobel and Yseult variants, especially Yseult. That name, and it's variants (particular the Cornish Eseld) is one of my favorite umbrella names out there.
Abelota and Iselota are honestly good names. Thank you for this list.
Wilmot should come back, I love that one.
Maggot? Definitely not that. I like Abelota alot.
I like Abelota and Mazota! It's nice to know Bliss "Blissot" was a medieval name. Elisota seems ok. A lot of the others seem unfortunate to me, Margaret "Maggot" being one of the worst. Alice "Alot" is funny. I want to like Dyot as a form of Denise, but it sounds too much like Diet to me.
This message was edited 6/2/2025, 7:46 AM
Fun fact: there’s documentary evidence of a young lady in medieval England named Diot Coke.