Find out how popular the last name Elan is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Elan.

Elan, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Elan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elan in America

Elan is the 70645th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elan surname appeared 277 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Elan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elan to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Elan

The surname Elan is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period, with roots that can be traced back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "élans," meaning "leaps" or "bounds," which may have been a descriptive surname given to someone known for their agility or athletic prowess.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Elan can be found in the Cartulaire de Notre-Dame de Paris, a collection of charters and documents from the 12th and 13th centuries related to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. This document mentions an individual named Raoul Elan, who is believed to have lived in the late 12th century.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a register of the citizens of Rouen, France. This record includes an entry for a man named Guillaume Elan, who was a merchant and citizen of Rouen during that time.

The surname Elan has also been associated with various place names in France, such as the village of Élan in the Ardennes region, which may have influenced the development of the surname in certain areas.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Elan include:

1. Jean Elan (c. 1550 - c. 1620), a French poet and playwright during the Renaissance period.
2. Nicolas Elan (1602 - 1679), a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of calculus.
3. Marie-Thérèse Elan (1718 - 1788), a French noblewoman and philanthropist known for her support of educational and charitable initiatives.
4. Pierre Elan (1772 - 1847), a French general who served under Napoleon Bonaparte and played a crucial role in several military campaigns during the Napoleonic Wars.
5. Émilie Elan (1825 - 1890), a French author and feminist activist who advocated for women's rights and education in the 19th century.

While the surname Elan may have evolved over time and taken on various spellings and regional variations, its origins can be traced back to medieval France, where it emerged as a descriptive name reflecting physical attributes or characteristics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elan

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Elan.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Elan was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Elan has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Elan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Elan, please contact us.

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