2000
#1,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,783
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.67
Uncommon Last name
Elder
An occupational surname referring to a person who held the office of elder in a church or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,924 Americans carry the last name Elder. That puts it at #1,201 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,410 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elder 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Elder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,410
Census rank
#1,201
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,711 bearers of the surname Elder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1201st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elder, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elder
The surname Elder is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "ældra," meaning "ancestor" or "elder." It is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
The name was initially used as a descriptive term to refer to individuals who held positions of authority or respected elders within their communities. It is likely that the name first appeared in areas where Old English was spoken, such as the counties of Wessex, Mercia, and Northumbria.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Elder can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, including "Eldere" and "Eldered."
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named William Elder was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, which were legal records documenting financial transactions and land ownership. He was likely a landowner or an influential individual in the region.
During the 14th century, the surname Elder was associated with the village of Eldryd, located in the county of Wiltshire. This place name was derived from the Old English words "ældra" and "ryd," meaning "elder's clearing."
One notable individual with the surname Elder was John Elder (c. 1553-1614), a Scottish merchant and burgess of Edinburgh. He played a significant role in the city's trade and commerce during the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
In the 17th century, the name Elder was also found in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America, indicating that individuals with this surname had emigrated from England to the New World.
Another prominent figure was Sir Matthew Elder (1659-1734), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist. He was instrumental in establishing the University of Glasgow's medical school and contributed significantly to the city's development.
In the 18th century, William Elder (1720-1786) was a renowned Scottish minister and academic. He served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and was a professor of natural philosophy at the University of Glasgow.
The 19th century saw the rise of John Elder (1824-1869), a Scottish marine engineer and shipbuilder. He founded the renowned Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, which played a crucial role in the development of the British shipbuilding industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elder
Among Census respondents with the surname Elder, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Elder 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 Elder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 21,876
- Black or African American15.4% · 4,418
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,124
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 992
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 198
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elder
Elder 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
#1,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,796
+1,013 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 10.10
Rank movement Down 68 places
2020
#1,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,711
-1,085 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 9.61
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,118 | 28,783 | 10.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,186 | 29,796 | 10.10 | +1,013 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 68 places |
| 2020 | #1,201 | 28,711 | 9.61 | -1,085 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 15 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 Elder 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 | #1,186 | #1,201 | -1.3% |
| Count | 29,796 | 28,711 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 10.10 | 9.61 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elder bearers went from 29,796 to 28,711 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,186 to #1,201.
FAQ
Elder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elder?
Name Census estimates that about 32,924 living Americans carry the surname Elder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,410 residents.
How common is Elder?
Elder ranks #1,201 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,711 people with the surname Elder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,924), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Elder.
Has Elder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elder went from 29,796 recorded bearers to 28,711. That is a decrease of 1,085 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,186 to #1,201.
What does the Census say about the background of Elder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elder, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Elder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (21,876 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Black (15.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Elder (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 Elder mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who held the office of elder in a church or village. 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 Elder (9.61 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 share the surname Elder?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.