The Baby Name Wizard

Reader Contributions

Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Elsie!

Comments and insights on the name Elsie: | Edit

Personally, I think this is a cute name. The only problem is that most people, including myself, automatically associate it with cows. Not exactly a compliment.

I'm 25 and I've never heard this name associated with a cow.

My husband's mother was called Elsie. She was such an elegant, beautiful person. If we have a daughter one day, I'd love to honour her, but being an American, I grew up with the "Elsie the Cow" image. That's hard to shake. Thankfully, here in England, no one knows about that! Perhaps the name Elinor/Eleanor with Elsie as a nickname could be a future compromise.

Personal experiences with the name Elsie: | Edit

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Nicknames for Elsie: | Edit

Elle/Ella/Ellie/Elly
Nell/Nellie
Sie Sie/Sissy
Els/Elz
Sies/Cis
Elf/Elfie
Lily

Meanings and history of the name Elsie: | Edit

Diminutive of Elizabeth, Elisabeth, or Elise, meaning "God's promise". It is also used as an independent name.

Famous real-life people named Elsie: | Edit

Elsie de Wolfe, pioneering interior decorator and socialite
Elsie Baker, American actress and singer
Elsie MacGill, Canadian aeronautical engineer and the first female aircraft designer
Elsie Carlisle, popular English female singer
Elsie Ferguson, American stage and film actress.
Elsie Inglis, innovative Scottish doctor
Elsie Janis, American singer, songwriter, actress, and screenwriter
Elsie Lefebvre (born 1979), Quebec politician
Elsie Lessa, American-Brazilian journalist and writer
Elsie Leung, member of the Hong Kong Executive Council

Elsie in song, story & screen: | Edit

Elsie Dinsmore, sweet Christian child heroine of a series of children's books by Martha Finley
Elsie Tanner (née Grimshaw, formerly Howard), character played by Patricia Phoenix on the BBC TV series "Coronation Street"
Elsie the Cow, mascot of the Borden Dairy Company. She was originally was a real cow named "You'll Do Lobelia", owned by family farmers in Connecticut, who was rechristened Elsie and appeared in promotions for Borden products for many years. Her association with the name Elsie effectively killed it off as a name for babies in the United States by 1950. However, this association has faded with time.