I attempted to search the forums for the answer to this question, since I'm certain it has been asked and answered previously. But it appears that the search feature for the forums is not enabled at present.

Therefore...

What is Elliott's entire name?

Is Ephraim part of his name? If so, is it spelled in the traditional manner, the name (in English) of a tribe of Israel? Finally, is Elliott the first or second name?

Appreciative of all replies...

hi s middle name i s elliott

It's Efraym Elliott Yamin I think, because I remember it being spelled different than normal, and if you type it in on google it comes up ^^

Elliott's first name is spelled "Ephraim". He talks about it in an interview with EW the day after he was eliminated from Idol. The interview can be found here (scroll down to the bottom of the interview):

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1195392_2,00.html

Edited because I just realized that EW may have assumed it was spelled that way. So, I am not exactly sure of the spelling. I defer to estrayastar.

hmm. I thought it was like Efraym cause of like wikipedia or something...

He spells it Efraym, but the usual English spelling is Ephraim. He also pronounces it 'Eframe' but the Hebrew pronunciation is Ephr-eye-m. At Elliott's Idol Richmond homecoming, the DJ at a radio station he visited told him there was someone in the parking lot with an eighth-grade yearbook with a name in it spelled e-f-a-y-m, and Elliott told him there was supposed to be an R in there somewhere.

omg, i just got his name screwed up then on an AI thread, lol. i'm pretty sure it's with an Ef, not Eph... but i put "happy b-day Elliott Efraym Yamin" in a post. i thought it was his middle name, haha! hope it's not too late to go back & edit :)

which brings up another amazing thing about him tho: u know he HAS to have an obvious, undeniable vocal talent to be building momentum & getting noticed like he is, considering all the little natural obstacles that have been in his way. like even his name is SO not "celebrity friendly", lol. Think about all the ways people (including myself) have misspelled or mispronounced various parts of his name when first hearing about him.... it's not exactly something easy to remember & look up later for the people who want to find out more about "the new guy they just heard on the radio". and yeah, i know he's got his own kind of total hotness, but especially early on, he had all those little physical quirks & imperfections that SO did not say "this guy has STAR written all over him"! I mean, here was a guy that had diabetes, hearing loss, teeth issues (tho i thought his upper teeth looked fine), an unflattering haircut (think audition & Hollywood rounds), very little stage experience, an admitted problem with nerves when talking (to Ryan or whoever) after singing a song, and just not having that AI-preferred perfect, plastic look of a flawless future star. It's like, that's exactly what gives me chills when i hear/watch him sing-- just hearing that perfect voice that comes outta this imperfect everyman. he's just so unique. which is why i actually think, given the right material to sing, he could be a legend one day whose music is going to be listened to decades from now, like some of our icons today.

oh yeah, now that i'm thinking about it... some other obstacles that said "this guy will probably not make it":

-- not getting snapped up right away for a record deal by AI folks, then...
-- not getting his cd out there till a sloooow time of the year, with no Christmas rush to help him out like the other contestants, and let's not forget
--hardly being shown on tv at all in the early AI rounds. heck, Paris Bennett was my early fave just because i just NEVER SAW Elliott sing & didn't know who he was! I didn't even know he was out there as a contestant really, what with that 11-second audition tidbit they generously graced us with & all. Jesus!
Boy, once i found out-- i knew who the real find from that season was....

dam, i just rambled again, didn't I, lol? (i KNOW not to let myself start typing when i'm tired!) :P

I like your post and I agree. I remember almost feeling unfaithful to Paris when I started to love Elliott because the producer seemed to be taking us down the Paris path. I like her, darling and all, but it was really difficult to weed through all the AI hype they put on other contestants and actually find our way to Elliott. Elliott's voice is what broke through - no stopping it - he has a talent beyond compare and I love him - soon the whole world will know.

I have never personally known an Elliott, sure, I've heard the name but never keyed in on anyone with it. Since our beloved Elliott has come into my life I'm surprised and tickled when I hear the name - I didn't realize the character on Law and Order is named Elliott and my daughter had been a fan of Elliott Smith for awhile and I never really thought about how little that name used to relate to me emotionally and how now I'm almost flattened just hearing it. I remember ran to the TV to watch promos of "Open Season" (which came out after I fell in love) because the scrawny deer in the movie is named Elliot (one "t") and I waited for the line where the deer says, "that's Elliot, not Idiot!". So funny - I'm sorry I'm such a basket case. And don't even get me started on how much I love the name Ephraim. I wish I knew how Elliott spells Ephraim.

Does anyone know if he always went by Elliott or did he use his real first name before idol? I remember seeing a yearbook photo of him somewhere and it said Efraym Yamin.

From what I've heard, he's gone by Elliott.

Okay, this is exciting for me - I high bid on Elliott's 4th grade report card and got it at the fundraiser last October - I sent it back to Claudette, but I made a copy of it. In the school year, 1987/88 at the Webster school in California, Miss (or Mrs.) Padilla, Elliott's 4th grade teacher, called him Elliott. She, by the way, noted that he had a special talent for poetry and politics (wow, amazing, she was right on), but he only got a "B" in music (she messed up there). Actually I remember him saying that he would just mouth the words in school when he sang - keeping secrets from the world - the wonderful gift waiting to be opened.

Does this help?

ooooohhhhhhh.....I love him. That is the cutest picture :)....and Harley, I love what you posted about his report card. Music teacher was WAY off..lol

That wasn't me Linda. It was Imethesame. :)

ooops, sorry harley and imthesame :(

a long time ago, for reasons that escape me, during AI ..someone posted Elliott's civil charges for going over the speed limit on a court t.v. American Idol message board. His name was spelled EPHRAIM, so that may be the official spelling of his name. Beats me. It really doesn't matter, but since there's a question of how his name is spelled..that is one more piece of the puzzle.

Just curious but how old is Elliott in that picture?
Haha speeding charges, Elliott is so bad =D

Cute picture. I bet he hates it, though. Don't we all hate our school pictures?

nope.. i love mine... ! really I do, most of them.

"but he only got a "B" in music (she messed up there). ".....


hahahaha! yep, she messed that one up.

btw (anyone), after i click quote, how do i highlight? i wanted to just highlight the above line, but couldn't manage it cause i'm pc-challenged i guess.

Hey everyone, I haven't posted before, but I found this site awhile back and try to come and read to find out how I can support Elliott. You all have done so much to support Elliott, I am amazed at all of your hard work. I know what it feels like to love Elliott because I've been an Elliott fan since I first heard him on AI. His voice is like no other, and he is such a sweet, loveable soul on top of that. I will continue to support him, and am so happy for him. What's amazing is that someone has actually caused me, of all people, to do things I had never done before, like vote on VH1, etc. I had never done something like that in my life! I know that there are probably plently of other people like me out there who have been shaken in their soul by Elliott.

Okay, about Elliott's name. I was sitting in church a while back and the minister was talking about Joseph's sons (Ephraim and Manassah). He said that Ephraim meant "double blessing." I was sitting there thinking to myself, wow, that just fits Elliott. A double blessing. Maybe that's why he goes by E-double? Just a thought. :)

:kaowelcome: :grouphug: That is very cool!

I thought it was because of Efraym Elliott ...double E's...but I like your reason better!

Oh, how wonderful---and welcome!!

By the way, in all my googling, I happened upon an Eli Yamin who is a fabulous jazz musician and teacher in New York City!!! He started the Eli Yamin Orchestra (ELO) in 2004 and plays Count Basie style jazz. The site is http://www.eliyamin.com/ Wonder if there is any relation? Actually in his discography, there's one called Movin' On!!!!
Think it's a coincidence but an amazing one! Check out his ensemble Solar
http://www.eliyamin.com/ensembles/quartet.html

Great thread! Thought I'd share with y'all a Hebrew interpretation of the name "Ephraim" (Efraym or whatever - it's always spelt the same in Hebrew).

Now listen to this!

Ephraim:

"Appears in the Bible in the book of Genesis; the son of Joseph. Brave, thorough, devoted /loyal and plays to win! Women admire his endeavours to succeed. A novel quality"

Sounds like Elliott, right?

Well, I guess we can put this topic to rest after last night, right from the Elliott's mouth...er fingers.

EFRAYM ELLIOTT YAMIN

I wondered, too, after last night's chat, if E went by Elliott or Efraym as a child. But I do know that school yearbooks generally list the formal name of the student as registered, not how he or she is commonly known. I really wondered if he was called Efraym until adolescence, when he friends started calling him "E-dub," then if he decided that Elliott was a bit easier to pronounce and spell (not by much) when he auditioned for Idol. I wonder what his friends and family routinely call him these days.