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

Elien, 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 Elien surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elien in America

Elien is the 82044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elien surname appeared 230 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Elien.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elien 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 Elien

The surname ELIEN is believed to have originated from the Normandy region of France during the early medieval period. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the French surname Élien, which derives from the Old French personal name "Elye" or "Elie," itself a form of the Biblical name Elijah.

The earliest recorded instances of the ELIEN surname can be found in historical records from the 12th century, particularly in areas of northern France where Norman influence was strong. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Geoffroi Elien, a Norman knight who participated in the Third Crusade under Richard the Lionheart in the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the ELIEN surname began to appear in English records, likely brought over by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066. One notable bearer from this era was Sir William Elien, a prominent landowner in Warwickshire during the reign of King Henry III (1216-1272).

During the Middle Ages, the surname underwent various spelling variations, including Elien, Elyen, and Elyene, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings at the time. In some instances, the name may have been associated with certain place names derived from the Old French word "elie," meaning "alder tree."

Several individuals bearing the ELIEN surname left their mark on history. For example, Jean Elien (c. 1490-1556) was a French Renaissance scholar and humanist known for his translations of classical works. In England, Thomas Elien (1567-1622) was a renowned architect and master mason who helped design several notable buildings, including parts of the Bodleian Library at Oxford University.

Other notable bearers of the ELIEN surname include:

1. Marie-Madeleine Elien (1642-1712), a French nun and mystic known for her spiritual writings.
2. Étienne Elien (1701-1776), a French botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.
3. Robert Elien (1794-1865), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
4. Émilie Elien (1838-1912), a French painter and one of the first women to be admitted to the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
5. Arthur Elien (1879-1956), an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Belgium in the 1930s.

While the ELIEN surname has its roots in the medieval period, it has endured through the centuries and can still be found in various parts of Europe and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elien

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!