Heloise

Meaning & origin

Heloise is a name with medieval roots and a scholarly legacy. It first appeared in U.S. records in 1900 and reached its peak popularity in 1913, when it ranked highest among recorded years. By 2025 it had fallen to rank 6,325, with approximately 1 in 89,293 baby girls receiving the name. The name's trajectory over the past two decades has been stable, neither sharply declining nor surging in use. Though associated with the famous 12th-century scholar Heloise d'Argenteuil, the name has never been common in the United States, and its top states of use do not appear in the current data. For parents seeking a name with historical depth and a classic French sound, Heloise offers a distinctive alternative to the more familiar Eloise.

Heloise is generally considered a French form of the Old German name Helewidis, from heil (healthy, whole) and wid (wide, wood). It was borne by the 12th-century scholar Heloise d'Argenteuil, famous for her love affair with Peter Abelard. The name appears in English records from the Middle Ages but declined thereafter, experiencing a modest revival in the 19th and early 20th centuries.