What is the surname of Anne's family in 'Persuasion'?
Answer
Elliot
Answer
Elliot
Anne's family in Jane Austen's Persuasion has the surname Elliot.
Anne is the overlooked middle daughter of Sir Walter Elliot, a baronet, and sister to Elizabeth and Mary. The family estate is Kellynch Hall, but financial extravagance forces Sir Walter and his daughters to leave it and rent a more economical home in Bath. Anne's family name is central to the novel's concerns with rank, inheritance, vanity, and social reputation.
A common mix-up is Wentworth, which is the surname of Anne's former fiancé, Captain Frederick Wentworth. Musgrove belongs to the family connected to Anne through her younger sister Mary's marriage, while Russell is associated with Lady Russell, Anne's influential family friend and godmother. The Elliots' preoccupation with status also helps explain why Anne was once persuaded to reject Wentworth, who then had little money or social standing.
Persuasion was published posthumously in 1817, alongside Northanger Abbey. Anne Elliot is one of Austen's more mature heroines, and the story follows her second chance at love after years of separation from Wentworth.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026