Elvester
Elvester is a unique name, potentially a blend of elements derived from Old English and Germanic origins.
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Elvester. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Elvester today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Elvester births was 1927 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Elvester. 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 Elvester is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Elvesters were born before 1962.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Elvester. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1927
7 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1958 SSA rank
#4,120
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Elvester: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Elvester from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 7 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Elvester remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Elvester 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 Elvester during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Elvester
The name Elvester is an uncommon and intriguing moniker that has its roots in the Germanic linguistic tradition. Its origins can be traced back to the 8th century, when it was derived from a combination of the Old Germanic elements "alf" and "gest," meaning "elf" and "guest" or "stranger," respectively. This unique blending suggests that the name may have once been associated with a person believed to have some connection or affinity with the mythical realm of elves.
Historical records indicate that Elvester first gained popularity in the medieval period, particularly in regions of present-day Germany and the Low Countries. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Fulda, a 9th-century chronicle that mentions an Elvester, a nobleman from the Frankish kingdom.
Throughout the Middle Ages, Elvester remained a relatively uncommon name, but it was occasionally bestowed upon individuals of noble or affluent backgrounds. One notable bearer of the name was Elvester von Ravensburg, a 13th-century German nobleman and crusader who participated in the Sixth Crusade.
As the centuries passed, the name Elvester continued to be used sparingly, often appearing in various forms and spellings, such as Elfester or Elvestr. In the 16th century, an Elvester Grünfelder, a German scholar and theologian, made his mark as a prominent figure in the Lutheran Reformation.
Another noteworthy individual was Elvester Maufer, a 17th-century Dutch artist known for his exquisite still-life paintings, which captured the beauty of everyday objects with remarkable attention to detail.
Moving forward to the 19th century, Elvester Buchanan, an American politician and lawyer, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee between 1839 and 1843.
While the name Elvester has remained relatively rare throughout history, its unique blend of Germanic elements and whimsical associations with the realm of elves have contributed to its enduring charm and intrigue. Despite its infrequent usage, the name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, leaving a subtle yet captivating imprint on the tapestry of human history.
People
Elvester + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Elvester 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
Elvester: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Elvester?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Elvester 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Elvester a common name?
We classify Elvester as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 12 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Elvester most popular?
The single biggest year for Elvester was 1927, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Elvester is about 74 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 Elvester in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Elvester a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Elvester 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 Elvester still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Elvester 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 Elvester 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 many Americans are named Elvester?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.