2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Elarde
A surname possibly derived from the ancient Greek word for olive tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Elarde. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elarde surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Elarde in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elarde, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.6%) and Hispanic (9.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elarde
The surname ELARDE originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "elar," which means "to freeze." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived in a particularly cold region or worked in a profession related to cold temperatures, such as an ice merchant.
The earliest known record of the name ELARDE dates back to the 13th century, appearing in the "Libro de las Behetrías" (Book of Bequests), a manuscript that documented land ownership and feudal obligations in the Kingdom of Castile. In this text, the name is spelled "Elarde."
During the 15th century, the name ELARDE appeared in various historical documents from the region of Asturias, in northern Spain. This area was known for its harsh winters and mountainous terrain, further supporting the theory that the name was associated with cold environments.
One notable bearer of the name ELARDE was Pedro Elarde, a Spanish soldier who fought in the Conquest of the Canary Islands in the late 15th century. He was born in Asturias around 1460 and participated in the campaigns led by Juan Rejón and Alonso Fernández de Lugo.
In the 16th century, the name ELARDE spread to other parts of Spain, including Andalusia and Catalonia. During this time, the surname evolved into different spellings, such as "Elarda" and "Elart."
Another prominent figure with the surname ELARDE was Juan Elarde, a Basque navigator and explorer who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his historic circumnavigation of the globe in the early 16th century. Juan Elarde was born in the Basque Country around 1490 and served as a pilot on Magellan's expedition, contributing significantly to the success of the voyage.
In the 17th century, the name ELARDE appeared in various records from the Spanish colonies in the Americas. For example, Diego Elarde was a Spanish colonial administrator who served as the mayor of Cartagena de Indias (present-day Colombia) in the 1660s.
Throughout history, the surname ELARDE has been associated with several notable individuals, including Miguel Elarde, a Spanish painter active in the late 18th century, and Ramón Elarde, a Spanish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elarde
Among Census respondents with the surname Elarde, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.6%) and Hispanic (9.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Elarde bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Elarde surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.2% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.6% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino9.6% · 10
- Two or more races6.7% · 7
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elarde
Elarde appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 8,370 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Elarde surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145,220 | #153,590 | -5.8% |
| Count | 114 | 104 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elarde bearers went from 114 to 104 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 8,370 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #153,590.
FAQ
Elarde surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elarde?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Elarde. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Elarde?
Elarde ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Elarde. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Elarde.
Has Elarde become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elarde went from 114 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Elarde?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elarde, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (10.6%) and Hispanic (9.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Elarde in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (74 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elarde appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.6%), Hispanic (9.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Elarde (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Elarde mean?
A surname possibly derived from the ancient Greek word for olive tree. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Elarde (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Elarde?
You can see how many people have the last name Elarde on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.