2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Elkus
Of Lithuanian origin, meaning "elk" or "deer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Elkus. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elkus 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Elkus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elkus, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elkus
The surname Elkus is of Lithuanian origin, with its earliest known bearers residing in the region of present-day Lithuania during the late medieval period, around the 15th century. The name is believed to derive from the Lithuanian word "elkas," which means "elk" or "moose," suggesting a possible occupation or descriptive connection to these animals or their hunting.
One of the earliest written records of the Elkus name can be found in the Lithuanian Metrica, a collection of official documents from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania dating back to the 15th century. In these records, various spellings such as "Elkusz," "Elkusch," and "Elkusas" appear, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common in that era.
During the 16th century, the Elkus family began to spread throughout the territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, with branches emerging in cities like Vilnius and Kaunas. Records from this time period mention individuals like Mykolas Elkus (1520-1592), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Kaunas.
As the centuries progressed, the Elkus name continued to be carried by notable individuals, such as Juozas Elkus (1745-1819), a respected scholar and educator who authored several works on Lithuanian history and culture. Another noteworthy figure was Antanas Elkus (1879-1954), a Lithuanian-American businessman and philanthropist who played a significant role in supporting Lithuanian communities in the United States.
The 19th century saw the Elkus name gain international recognition with the birth of Abram I. Elkus (1867-1936), a prominent American lawyer and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1916 to 1917. His son, Abram Elkus (1899-1975), followed in his footsteps and had a distinguished career as a lawyer and judge in New York.
Other notable individuals with the Elkus surname include Mindaugas Elkus (born 1964), a Lithuanian basketball player who competed in the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics, and Vytautas Elkus (born 1976), a Lithuanian pianist and composer known for his work in contemporary classical music.
Throughout its history, the Elkus surname has maintained a strong connection to its Lithuanian roots, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and diverse experiences of its bearers across various regions and generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elkus
Among Census respondents with the surname Elkus, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Elkus 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 Elkus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elkus
Elkus 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+16 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,404 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-12 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,891 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 5,404 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 12,891 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 Elkus 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 | #131,379 | #144,270 | -9.8% |
| Count | 129 | 117 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elkus bearers went from 129 to 117 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 12,891 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #144,270.
FAQ
Elkus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elkus?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Elkus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Elkus?
Elkus ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Elkus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Elkus.
Has Elkus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elkus went from 129 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Elkus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elkus, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Elkus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elkus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Hispanic (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Elkus (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 Elkus mean?
Of Lithuanian origin, meaning "elk" or "deer". 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 Elkus (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 many Americans have the surname Elkus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.