2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ellanson
A surname derived from the given name "Ellen" and the patronymic suffix "-son", meaning "son of Ellen".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Ellanson. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ellanson 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Ellanson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellanson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ellanson
The surname Ellanson is of English origin, derived from a combination of the Old English personal name Ellen and the patronymic suffix "-son", meaning "son of". The name Ellen itself is a variant of the biblical name Helen, which comes from the Greek 'Helene', meaning "bright" or "shining one".
The earliest known records of the name Ellanson date back to the late 16th century in the county of Yorkshire, England. The first documented instance was in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, where a Thomas Ellanson was recorded as having been baptized in 1587.
In the 17th century, the Ellanson name appeared in various administrative records and documents across northern England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Westmorland. One notable example is found in the Proceedings of the Old Bailey from 1679, which mention a William Ellanson who was charged with theft.
The Ellanson surname is also associated with the small village of Ellenside, located in the historical county of Durham. It is believed that the name Ellenside may have been derived from the same Old English personal name Ellen, suggesting a possible connection between the place name and the surname.
Among the notable individuals bearing the Ellanson surname throughout history are:
1. Richard Ellanson (c. 1650 - 1720), an English merchant and landowner from Yorkshire.
2. John Ellanson (1745 - 1823), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
3. Elizabeth Ellanson (1776 - 1854), a renowned writer and poet from Lancashire, known for her works on nature and rural life.
4. William Ellanson (1818 - 1892), a prominent architect from Yorkshire who designed several churches and public buildings in the region.
5. Margaret Ellanson (1867 - 1945), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights, born in Westmorland.
While the Ellanson surname has its roots in northern England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Westmorland, it has since spread to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, carried by families and individuals who emigrated over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ellanson
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellanson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ellanson 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 Ellanson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 93
- Two or more races5.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ellanson
Ellanson 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,357 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-14 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,450 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 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 4,357 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 12,450 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 Ellanson 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 | #141,140 | #153,590 | -8.8% |
| Count | 118 | 104 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ellanson bearers went from 118 to 104 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 12,450 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #153,590.
FAQ
Ellanson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ellanson?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Ellanson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Ellanson?
Ellanson ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Ellanson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Ellanson.
Has Ellanson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ellanson went from 118 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Ellanson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellanson, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ellanson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ellanson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Two or More Races (5.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%). 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 Ellanson (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 Ellanson mean?
A surname derived from the given name "Ellen" and the patronymic suffix "-son", meaning "son of Ellen". 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 Ellanson (0.03 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 people have the surname Ellanson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.