2000
#9,814
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,042
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Elia
Derived from the Greek name Elias, a cognate of the Hebrew name Eliyyahu, meaning "my God is Yahweh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,817 Americans carry the last name Elia. That puts it at #9,373 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 89,797 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elia 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 Elia with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 89,797
Census rank
#9,373
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,329 bearers of the surname Elia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9373rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elia, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elia
Among Census respondents with the surname Elia, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Elia 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 Elia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 2,856
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 191
- Two or more races2.9% · 97
- Black or African American2.5% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 79
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elia
Elia 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
#9,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,460
+418 bearers (+13.7%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Up 417 places
2020
#9,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,329
-131 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Up 24 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,814 | 3,042 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,397 | 3,460 | 1.17 | +418 bearers (+13.7%) | Up 417 places |
| 2020 | #9,373 | 3,329 | 1.11 | -131 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 24 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 Elia 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 | #9,397 | #9,373 | 0.3% |
| Count | 3,460 | 3,329 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.11 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elia bearers went from 3,460 to 3,329 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 24 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,397 to #9,373.
FAQ
Elia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elia?
Name Census estimates that about 3,817 living Americans carry the surname Elia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 89,797 residents.
How common is Elia?
Elia ranks #9,373 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,329 people with the surname Elia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,817), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Elia.
Has Elia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elia went from 3,460 recorded bearers to 3,329. That is a decrease of 131 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,397 to #9,373.
What does the Census say about the background of Elia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elia, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Elia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (2,856 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Elia (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 Elia mean?
Derived from the Greek name Elias, a cognate of the Hebrew name Eliyyahu, meaning "my God is Yahweh." 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 Elia (1.11 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 common is the surname Elia?
Find out how many people have the last name Elia on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.