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

Elia, 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 Elia surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elia in America

Elia is the 9397th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elia surname appeared 3,460 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Elia.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elia 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 Elia

The surname Elia has its origins in Italy, specifically in the region of Campania, where it is believed to have originated in the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. It is derived from the Latin name "Aelia," which was a Roman family name derived from the Greek word "helios," meaning "sun." This suggests that the name may have been originally bestowed upon someone with a sunny disposition or a connection to the sun or its symbolism.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Elia can be found in a document from the city of Naples, dated 1186, which mentions a nobleman named Elia di Napoli. This indicates that the name was already well-established in the region by that time. The name also appears in various other historical records and chronicles from the southern Italian regions, such as Puglia and Calabria, during the subsequent centuries.

In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Elia da Cortona, an Italian friar and theologian, was born in Cortona, Tuscany (c. 1180 - 1253). He is remembered for his contributions to the Franciscan Order and his teachings on moral philosophy. Another notable figure with this surname was Elia Levita (c. 1469 - 1549), a Jewish grammarian and scholar from Germany, who made significant contributions to the study of Hebrew grammar and the Masorah.

During the Renaissance period, the name Elia gained further recognition through the works of Italian artists and intellectuals. One such figure was Elia Caprili (c. 1505 - 1573), a renowned Florentine painter and sculptor who worked on several notable commissions in churches and palaces throughout Italy. Another notable bearer of the name was Elia Cori (c. 1530 - 1599), a Venetian architect and engineer who was involved in the construction of several important landmarks, including the Rialto Bridge in Venice.

In more recent centuries, the surname Elia has continued to be associated with notable individuals in various fields. For example, Elia Dalla Costa (1872 - 1961) was an Italian mathematician and physicist known for his work in the field of electromagnetism. Additionally, Elia Kazan (1909 - 2003), an American director and writer of Greek descent, gained widespread recognition for his contributions to theatre and film, including directing acclaimed works such as "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "On the Waterfront."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elia

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

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

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

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