Elster
Of German origin, meaning "magpie" or "bird".
Name Census estimates that about 18 living Americans carry the first name Elster. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Elster today is around 90 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elster births was 1923 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elster. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Elster is about 90 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Elsters were born before 1946.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Elster. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
18
~ 1 in 19,041,908 Americans
Peak year
1923
12 babies that year
Average age
90
years old
1947 SSA rank
#3,900
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Elster: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elster from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 61 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Elster remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elster 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 Elster during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Elsters live
Origin
Meaning and history of Elster
The given name Elster finds its roots in the Old German language, originating in the medieval period around the 10th century. It is derived from the Old German word "alstra," which referred to a species of magpie or a type of blackbird. The name was likely initially bestowed upon individuals who exhibited traits associated with these birds, such as intelligence, resourcefulness, or a fondness for shiny objects.
In ancient Germanic folklore and mythology, the magpie held symbolic significance, often representing wisdom, fortune, and the ability to navigate the realms of the living and the dead. This symbolism may have contributed to the name's adoption and its association with individuals possessing these qualities.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Elster can be traced back to medieval Germany, particularly in regions like Bavaria and Saxony. It appeared in various historical records, including parish registers and legal documents, during the 12th and 13th centuries.
One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the name Elster was Konrad Elster, a German monk and scholar who lived in the 13th century. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of astronomy and his writings on the subject.
In the 16th century, Elster Faust, a German alchemist and occultist, gained notoriety for his alleged dealings with the devil and his pursuit of forbidden knowledge. His legend later inspired the famous literary work "Faust" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
During the 17th century, Elster von Elsterberg, a German nobleman and military commander, played a significant role in the Thirty Years' War. He was known for his strategic acumen and leadership on the battlefield.
In the realm of art and literature, Elster Sternheim, a German painter and illustrator from the 18th century, left a lasting legacy with his vivid depictions of rural life and landscapes.
Another notable figure was Elster Müller, a 19th-century German botanist and naturalist, who contributed significantly to the study of plant life and wrote several influential works on the subject.
While the name Elster has its origins in German culture, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of Europe, particularly in Scandinavia and the Netherlands, where variations of the name exist.
People
Elster + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elster 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
Elster: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elster?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 18 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elster 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 19,041,908 US residents.
Is Elster a common name?
We classify Elster as "Very Rare". It ranks above 38.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 139 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elster most popular?
The single biggest year for Elster was 1923, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elster is about 90 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Elster in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Elster a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elster in the SSA data are male. 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 Elster still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Elster 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 Elster 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Elster?
See how many people share the name Elster on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.