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

Elkins, 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 Elkins surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elkins in America

Elkins is the 1426th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elkins surname appeared 24,902 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Elkins.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elkins 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 Elkins

The surname Elkins has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "el," meaning "ell" (a unit of measurement), and "ing," a common surname suffix indicating "people" or "belonging to." Thus, the name may have initially referred to people who lived or worked near a specific ell-measured area or landmark.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Elkins can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where a person named Adam Elkin is listed. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Elkyns, Elkyng, and Elkyn, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that era. Some of these early spellings may have been influenced by the Old French word "elkin," meaning "little ell."

The Elkins surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Elkins (c. 1390-1456), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for Guildford during the reign of Henry VI.

In the 16th century, William Elkins (c. 1530-1590) was a prominent English clergyman and theologian who served as the Archdeacon of Norfolk.

During the American colonial era, Reverend Gerard Elkins (1640-1718) was a Puritan minister who immigrated from England to Massachusetts and played a significant role in the establishment of the town of Brookfield.

In the 19th century, Stephen Benton Elkins (1841-1923) was a prominent American lawyer, politician, and businessman who served as the Secretary of War under President Benjamin Harrison and later as a United States Senator from West Virginia.

Another notable figure was Ephraim Elkins (1872-1942), a celebrated American baseball player who played for several Major League teams, including the Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Browns, between 1898 and 1909.

While the Elkins surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, as a result of migration and settlement patterns.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elkins

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

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

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

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