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

Ell, 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 Ell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ell in America

Ell is the 19041st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ell surname appeared 1,430 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 Ell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ell 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 Ell

The surname Ell originated in England during the medieval period, likely derived from the Old English word "ell," which referred to a unit of measurement equivalent to approximately 45 inches. It's believed that the name initially served as a descriptive surname, indicating someone who worked with cloth or engaged in a trade that involved measuring lengths, such as a tailor or cloth merchant.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ell surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dated 1273, which mentions a person named Richard le Elne. This early spelling variation, "Elne," further supports the connection to the Old English word for measurement.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to places with names similar to the surname, such as Elleland and Ellenborough. While these place names are not directly linked to the Ell surname, they may have influenced its development or provided a geographical association.

Notable individuals bearing the Ell surname throughout history include Sir Ralph Ell (1537-1604), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1601. Another prominent figure was John Ell (1669-1724), an English barrister and Member of Parliament for Malmesbury.

In the literary realm, Robert Ell (1817-1900) was a Scottish poet and author, best known for his works "The Old English Alphabet" and "The Teutonic Circle." Additionally, Edward Ell (1858-1934) was an English painter and illustrator who exhibited at the Royal Academy and the Paris Salon.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ell surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk in eastern England, where many records of individuals with this name can be found in parish registers and other local documents.

The surname Ell has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Ellerton, Ellesmere, and Ellingham. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname or provided a connection for families bearing this name over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ell

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ell, 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!