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

Elander, 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 Elander surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elander in America

Elander is the 75069th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elander surname appeared 257 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 Elander.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elander 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 Elander

The surname Elander has its origins in Scandinavia, primarily in Sweden. It is believed to have emerged around the 13th or 14th century, derived from the Old Norse word "eldr," which means "fire." The name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a forest fire or was associated with a profession that involved fire, such as a blacksmith or a charcoal burner.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Elander can be found in the Swedish parish records from the 16th century. In the parish of Härjedalen, located in the northwestern part of Sweden, several individuals with the surname Elander were mentioned in the records from the late 1500s and early 1600s.

The Elander name has also been linked to various place names in Sweden, particularly those containing the element "eland" or "eld," which means "fire" in Swedish. For example, the village of Eland in Västmanland County and the farm Elande in Gävleborg County may have contributed to the formation of the surname.

Historically, the Elander name has been associated with several notable figures. One prominent individual was Olof Elander (1650-1720), a Swedish clergyman and professor of theology at Uppsala University. Another was Carl Elander (1843-1922), a Swedish entrepreneur who founded the publishing house C.A. Elanders Boktryckeri AB, which is still in operation today.

In the literary world, the Swedish author and playwright Anna Elander (1869-1950) gained recognition for her works depicting rural life in her native Halland region. Her novels, such as "Boken om Halland" (The Book of Halland), explored the cultural traditions and struggles of the local farming communities.

Another notable figure was Folke Elander (1919-2007), a Swedish actor and director who had a successful career in both film and theater. He was particularly known for his performances in several films directed by Ingmar Bergman, including "The Seventh Seal" and "The Magician."

The Elander surname has also been carried by individuals in other parts of the world, such as the United States and Canada, likely through immigration from Sweden or other Scandinavian countries. However, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Nordic lands and the linguistic origins of the Old Norse language.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elander

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

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 Elander 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 Elander 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 Elander was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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