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

Elin, 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 Elin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elin in America

Elin is the 100302nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elin surname appeared 180 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 Elin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elin 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 Elin

The surname ELIN is of Swedish origin, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old Norse name "Eilífr," meaning "ever-living" or "eternal." This name was a compound of the words "ei" (ever) and "líf" (life).

In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "Eilifr" or "Eilifsson" in medieval Scandinavian records and manuscripts. Over time, it evolved into various spellings such as "Eilif," "Eiliv," and eventually "ELIN" as it became a fixed surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ELIN can be found in the 16th-century parish records of Västergötland, a historical province in southwestern Sweden. These records mention individuals with the surname, indicating its use as a hereditary name by that time.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name ELIN became more widespread across Sweden, particularly in rural areas. Several notable individuals bore this surname, including Anders ELIN (1680-1745), a Swedish farmer and landowner from Småland, and Johan ELIN (1715-1789), a Lutheran priest who served in the parish of Älvdalen.

In the 19th century, the name ELIN gained further prominence with individuals like Carl ELIN (1825-1897), a Swedish businessman and industrialist who established a successful textile manufacturing company in Borås. Another notable figure was Ingrid ELIN (1845-1922), a pioneering educator and women's rights advocate from Dalarna.

As Swedish emigration to the United States and other countries increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname ELIN also spread to new regions. One prominent individual was Nils ELIN (1870-1943), a Swedish-American inventor and entrepreneur who founded the ELIN Electrical Company in New York.

Throughout its history, the surname ELIN has maintained a strong association with its Swedish roots, reflecting the enduring legacy of its Old Norse origins and the individuals who carried this name across generations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elin

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

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

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

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