2000
#8,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,480
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Eliason
Patronymic surname derived from the given name Elias, a variant of Elijah, meaning "my God is Yahweh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,061 Americans carry the last name Eliason. That puts it at #8,878 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,401 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eliason 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
4.1K
1 in 84,401
Census rank
#8,878
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,541 bearers of the surname Eliason in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8878th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eliason, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eliason
The surname Eliason has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden and Norway. It is believed to have originated as a patronymic name, derived from the first name Elias, which itself has biblical roots and means "Yahweh is my God" in Hebrew. The suffix "-son" indicates it was originally used to denote a son of someone named Elias.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eliason can be found in the 16th century Swedish Census Rolls, where a family with this surname is listed as residing in the region of Småland. It's likely that the name was initially more prevalent in rural areas of Sweden and Norway before spreading to other parts of Scandinavia and eventually to other countries through immigration.
In the 17th century, there are records of an Eliason family residing in the town of Halmstad, Sweden. A notable member of this family was Johan Eliason (1640-1718), who was a respected merchant and landowner in the region.
As the name spread beyond Scandinavia, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Eliason, Elieson, and Eliassen. One early example of the name in North America can be found in the records of the New Sweden colony, established in the mid-17th century along the Delaware River in present-day Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. A man named Nils Eliason is recorded as one of the early settlers of this colony.
Another notable figure with the surname Eliason was Axel Eliason (1876-1955), a Swedish-American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the lumber industry. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Eliason Memorial Hospital in Washington state.
In the 19th century, a prominent Norwegian-American with the surname was Elling Eliason (1821-1904), who served as a Lutheran minister and founded several churches in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Moving into the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname was Gunhild Eliason (1910-1999), a Norwegian actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and stage productions throughout her career.
While these are just a few examples, the surname Eliason has a rich history spanning several centuries and multiple countries, with its roots firmly planted in the Scandinavian region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eliason
Among Census respondents with the surname Eliason, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Eliason 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 Eliason surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 3,259
- Two or more races3.2% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 33
- Black or African American0.8% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eliason
Eliason 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
#8,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,735
+255 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#8,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,541
-194 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 103 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,692 | 3,480 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,775 | 3,735 | 1.27 | +255 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #8,878 | 3,541 | 1.18 | -194 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 103 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 Eliason 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 | #8,775 | #8,878 | -1.2% |
| Count | 3,735 | 3,541 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.18 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eliason bearers went from 3,735 to 3,541 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 103 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,775 to #8,878.
FAQ
Eliason surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eliason?
Name Census estimates that about 4,061 living Americans carry the surname Eliason. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,401 residents.
How common is Eliason?
Eliason ranks #8,878 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 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 3,541 people with the surname Eliason. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,061), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 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 Eliason.
Has Eliason become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eliason went from 3,735 recorded bearers to 3,541. That is a decrease of 194 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,775 to #8,878.
What does the Census say about the background of Eliason?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eliason, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Eliason in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (3,259 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eliason appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Eliason (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 Eliason mean?
Patronymic surname derived from the given name Elias, a variant of Elijah, 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 Eliason (1.18 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 Eliason?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Eliason, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.