2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Elim
A place name derived from the biblical location of Elim, meaning "palm trees."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Elim. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elim 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Elim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elim, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.7%. The next largest groups are White (17.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elim
The surname ELIM has its origins in the ancient Hebrew language, derived from the word "Elim" which means "trees" or "groves of trees." This name is believed to have emerged in the region known as the Levant, encompassing modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and parts of Syria. Its earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the biblical era, where the name is mentioned in the Book of Exodus as a place where the Israelites camped during their exodus from Egypt.
The name ELIM is thought to have been adopted as a surname by Jewish families living in the Levant during the Middle Ages. It may have been used to identify individuals who lived near or worked in groves of trees or had a particular affinity with nature. Some scholars also suggest that the name could have been associated with certain professions related to forestry or woodworking.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname ELIM is Rabbi Solomon ben Elim, a prominent scholar and Talmudic authority who lived in the 12th century. He authored several influential works on Jewish law and philosophy, and his teachings were widely respected throughout the Jewish communities of the time.
Another notable figure bearing the ELIM surname was Judah ben Elim, a Jewish philosopher and poet who lived in the 13th century. He is best known for his work "Sefer Sha'ar ha-Shamayim" (The Book of the Gate of Heaven), which explored mystical and metaphysical concepts.
In the 16th century, records show a family named Elim residing in the city of Safed, a center of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah study. This family produced several respected rabbis and scholars, including Moses Elim, who authored works on Jewish law and ethics.
During the 18th century, a notable figure named Isaac Elim gained recognition as a skilled calligrapher and scribe in the city of Jerusalem. His beautifully handwritten Torah scrolls and other religious texts were highly sought after by Jewish communities throughout the region.
As Jews began to migrate to other parts of the world, the surname ELIM spread to various countries, often undergoing slight variations in spelling or pronunciation. In the 19th century, records show individuals with the name Elim residing in communities across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
While the surname ELIM is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of Jewish surnames, carrying within it echoes of ancient Hebrew origins, biblical references, and a deep connection to the natural world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elim
Among Census respondents with the surname Elim, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.7%. The next largest groups are White (17.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Elim 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 Elim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American65.7% · 71
- White17.6% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.9% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elim
Elim 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,497 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Up 7,497 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 Elim 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 | #158,432 | #150,935 | 4.7% |
| Count | 102 | 108 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elim bearers went from 102 to 108 (+5.9% change). The surname moved up 7,497 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #150,935.
FAQ
Elim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elim?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Elim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Elim?
Elim ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Elim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Elim.
Has Elim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elim went from 102 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 6 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Elim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elim, the largest self-reported group is Black at 65.7%. The next largest groups are White (17.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (13.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Elim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.7% (71 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (65.7%), White (17.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.9%). 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 Elim (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 Elim mean?
A place name derived from the biblical location of Elim, meaning "palm trees." 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 Elim (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 common is the surname Elim?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Elim on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.