2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Elefson
A surname derived from a Scandinavian personal name meaning elk or moose.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Elefson. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elefson 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Elefson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elefson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elefson
The surname Elefson is of Scandinavian origin, believed to have originated in Norway during the Viking age between the 8th and 11th centuries. It is derived from the Old Norse word "elfr," meaning "river or stream," and the suffix "-son," which denotes "son of." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a river or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These historical texts mention an individual named Elefr Thorvaldsson, who lived in the late 10th century and was a prominent figure in the Icelandic settlement of Greenland.
The name Elefson, with its various spellings such as Elefsen, Elefsson, and Elefssen, can also be found in records from the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. In Norway, for instance, the Elefson family is mentioned in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomatic documents dating back to the 12th century.
One notable figure with the surname Elefson was Nils Elefson, a Norwegian-American explorer and fur trader who lived from 1787 to 1849. He was one of the earliest settlers in the Red River Valley of Minnesota and played a significant role in establishing trade routes and relationships with Native American tribes in the region.
Another individual of historical significance was Kristian Elefson (1838-1912), a Norwegian-American politician and educator. He served as the fifth Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota from 1893 to 1897 and was instrumental in the development of the state's education system.
In Sweden, the name Elefson can be traced back to the 17th century, with records indicating that a family by the name of Elefson resided in the town of Jönköping during this period. One notable Swedish figure with this surname was Carl Elefson (1844-1920), a businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Stockholm.
The name Elefson has also been found in historical records from Denmark, where it is believed to have been introduced by Norwegian settlers during the Viking era. One notable Danish figure with this surname was Jens Elefson (1892-1968), a renowned architect who designed several iconic buildings in Copenhagen, including the Royal Danish Playhouse.
While the name Elefson is relatively uncommon today, it continues to be present in various parts of Scandinavia and among individuals of Scandinavian descent in other parts of the world, particularly in North America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elefson
Among Census respondents with the surname Elefson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Elefson 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 Elefson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 101
- Two or more races9.5% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elefson
Elefson 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+11 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,879 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 9,879 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 Elefson 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 | #154,907 | #145,028 | 6.4% |
| Count | 105 | 116 | 10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elefson bearers went from 105 to 116 (+10.5% change). The surname moved up 9,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #145,028.
FAQ
Elefson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elefson?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Elefson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Elefson?
Elefson ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Elefson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Elefson.
Has Elefson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elefson went from 105 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 11 (+10.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Elefson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elefson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.5%) and Hispanic (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 Elefson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elefson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Two or More Races (9.5%), Hispanic (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 Elefson (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 Elefson mean?
A surname derived from a Scandinavian personal name meaning elk or moose. 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 Elefson (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 Elefson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.