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

Elle, 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 Elle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elle in America

Elle is the 85049th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elle surname appeared 220 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 Elle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elle 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 Elle

The surname Elle originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "elle," meaning "she," which likely referred to a woman of notable importance or stature in the community where the surname first emerged.

The earliest known record of the Elle surname dates back to the 13th century in the Normandy region of northern France. In 1274, a certain Guillaume Elle was mentioned in the historic records of the village of Rouen, indicating that the name had already established roots in the area.

One of the earliest documented instances of the Elle surname can be found in the renowned Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry recorded an individual named Radulfus Elle, who held land in the county of Essex.

During the 14th century, the Elle surname began to spread across various regions of France, including the provinces of Île-de-France, Picardy, and Champagne. Notable bearers of the name from this period include Jean Elle, a prominent merchant from Paris who lived between 1320 and 1385, and Marguerite Elle, a noblewoman from the village of Reims, born in 1372.

As the centuries passed, the Elle surname gained recognition in other parts of Europe, particularly in England and Germany. One of the earliest recorded instances in England was that of William Elle, a landowner from Yorkshire, who was born in 1422 and died in 1498.

Across the Channel, the German variant of the surname, "Ellen," also emerged, with records indicating the presence of a family named Ellen in the city of Hamburg as early as the 16th century. Johannes Ellen, born in 1532, was a respected merchant and civic leader in the city.

Other notable figures bearing the Elle surname throughout history include Marie-Anne Elle, a French author and poet who lived from 1737 to 1805, and Jean-Baptiste Elle, a renowned artist from Paris born in 1775 and known for his intricate landscape paintings.

While the Elle surname has its roots in medieval France, it has since spread across various regions and cultures, with bearers of the name making their mark in diverse fields, from literature and art to business and politics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elle

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

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

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

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