2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Elble
A surname derived from the German word for "elbow" suggesting an origin in a nickname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Elble. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elble 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Elble in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elble, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elble
The surname Elble is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to have derived from the Old German word "elbil," which means "elk" or "stag." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a descriptive nickname for someone who had some physical or behavioral resemblance to an elk.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Elble can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. In these records, a person named "Elbelinus" is mentioned, which is likely a Latinized form of the German name Elble.
Another notable historical reference to the name can be found in the Würzburg Diocesan Archives, where a document from 1389 mentions a "Heinricus Elbler." This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of Germany by the 14th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Elble was Johann Elble, a German painter and engraver who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is known for his religious works and engravings depicting scenes from the Bible.
In the 16th century, there was a notable figure named Hans Elble, a German clockmaker and inventor from Nuremberg. He is credited with developing one of the earliest known portable clocks, which he presented to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1543.
Another individual of note with the surname Elble was Johann Christoph Elble, a German theologian and author who lived from 1688 to 1757. He wrote several influential works on religious topics and served as a professor at the University of Tübingen.
In the 19th century, there was a German philosopher and writer named Ludwig Elble, who was born in 1816 and died in 1893. He was known for his writings on metaphysics and ethics, and his work influenced the development of modern German philosophy.
Finally, one of the more recent historical figures with the surname Elble was Ernst Elble, a German architect and urban planner who lived from 1892 to 1967. He was involved in the reconstruction and redesign of several German cities after World War II, including his hometown of Stuttgart.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elble
Among Census respondents with the surname Elble, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Elble 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 Elble surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elble
Elble appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-18 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,286 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+10 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 25,286 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 7,346 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 Elble 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 | #149,395 | #142,049 | 4.9% |
| Count | 110 | 120 | 9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elble bearers went from 110 to 120 (+9.1% change). The surname moved up 7,346 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #142,049.
FAQ
Elble surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elble?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Elble. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Elble?
Elble ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Elble. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Elble.
Has Elble become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elble went from 110 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 10 (+9.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Elble?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elble, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Elble in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elble appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Elble (2000, 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 Elble mean?
A surname derived from the German word for "elbow" suggesting an origin in a nickname. 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 Elble (0.04 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 have the surname Elble?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.