Elsia
A feminine name derived from the Hebrew "Elizabeth", meaning "consecrated to God".
Name Census estimates that about 84 living Americans carry the first name Elsia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Elsia today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elsia births was 1924 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elsia. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Elsia with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Elsia is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Elsias were born before 1959.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Elsia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
84
~ 1 in 4,080,409 Americans
Peak year
1924
18 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1987 SSA rank
#10,235
Tracked since 1889
Census
Elsia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 252 people with the first name Elsia, which placed it at #33,030 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#33,030
National first-name rank
People counted
252
252 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
36.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elsia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Elsia is Hispanic at 36.9%. The next largest groups are White (29.8%) and Black (26.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Elsia described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Elsia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino36.9% · 93
- White29.8% · 75
- Black or African American26.6% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 3
- Two or more races1.2% · 3
Popularity
Elsia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elsia from the 1880s through to the 1980s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 114 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elsia by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Elsia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Elsias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Elsia
The name Elsia is believed to have its roots in the ancient Germanic languages, where it was derived from the Old High German word "elsa," meaning "noble" or "respected." This name gained popularity during the Middle Ages, particularly in regions where Germanic influence was strong, such as parts of present-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Elsia can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae," a collection of medieval documents from the 12th century. In this text, an individual named "Elsia de Burkhardisdorf" is mentioned, suggesting that the name was in use during that time period.
The name Elsia also has connections to various religious and historical figures throughout the centuries. In the 13th century, a nun named Elsia von Oettingen was known for her piety and charitable works in the Bavarian region of Germany. Additionally, historical records from the 15th century mention an Elsia von Trier, who was a respected scholar and writer in the city of Trier, Germany.
Moving forward in time, Elsia Haywood (1693-1756) was a notable English writer and actress who gained recognition for her novels and plays during the early 18th century. Her works explored themes of love, desire, and societal expectations, making her a significant figure in the literary world of her time.
In the 19th century, Elsia Dort (1844-1926) was a French painter and sculptor who exhibited her works at the prestigious Paris Salon. Her artistic contributions were celebrated, and she was considered a prominent figure in the Parisian art scene of the late 1800s.
Another notable bearer of the name was Elsia Wright (1876-1952), an American educator and activist who fought for the rights of African Americans in the early 20th century. She played a crucial role in establishing educational opportunities for Black students and advocating for social justice during a time of significant racial discrimination.
These examples showcase the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals named Elsia throughout history, highlighting the name's enduring presence across different cultures and time periods.
People
Elsia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elsia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with E
Other first names starting with E with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Elsia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elsia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 84 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elsia going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 4,080,409 US residents.
Is Elsia a common name?
We classify Elsia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 414 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elsia most popular?
The single biggest year for Elsia was 1924, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elsia is about 77 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Elsia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 252 people with the name Elsia, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,030 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Elsia in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Elsia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Elsia appears almost entirely female. Of the 252 people counted with this name, 99.2% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Elsia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Elsia is Hispanic at 36.9%. The next largest groups are White (29.8%) and Black (26.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Elsia most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Elsia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 36.9% (93 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Elsia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Elsia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elsia in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Elsia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Elsia in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Elsia can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Elsia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.