2000
#13,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,162
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Ellefson
Derived from a patronymic name meaning "son of Eilif," a Scandinavian given name meaning "ever life" or "eternal life."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,365 Americans carry the last name Ellefson. That puts it at #13,999 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ellefson 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
2.4K
1 in 144,928
Census rank
#13,999
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,062 bearers of the surname Ellefson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13999th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellefson, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ellefson
The surname Ellefson has its origins in Norway. It first appeared in the early 13th century and is believed to be derived from the Old Norse words "elle" meaning "Ancient" and "sonr" meaning "son", suggesting it was originally a patronymic name referring to the son of an elder or ancient one.
Ellefson is a distinctly Norwegian name that arose in the coastal regions of western Norway, particularly around the areas of Rogaland and Hordaland. Some of the earliest recorded examples can be found in the medieval Norwegian tax records and land registries from the 1200s and 1300s.
One of the first documented individuals with this surname was Einar Ellefson, a farmer from the village of Etne in Hordaland who was mentioned in a land dispute settlement recorded in 1327. Another early bearer was Sigrid Ellefsdotter, a noblewoman from Stavanger who was mentioned in a monastery donation record from 1348.
The name Ellefson can also be traced back to various place names in Norway, such as the farm Ellefsgarden near Haugesund, which dates back to the 1400s. It is likely that some bearers of the name adopted it based on their association with these locations.
Notable individuals with the surname Ellefson throughout history include Hans Ellefson (1542-1612), a respected Lutheran pastor from Bergen; Ingrid Ellefson (1677-1743), a prominent merchant and landowner from Trondheim; and Ove Ellefson (1818-1896), a Norwegian-American immigrant who became a successful farmer and community leader in Minnesota.
Other bearers of the name include Nils Ellefson (1891-1976), a Norwegian-American artist known for his landscape paintings, and Peder Ellefson (1923-2008), a Norwegian naval officer and diplomat who served as Norway's ambassador to several countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ellefson
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellefson, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Ellefson 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 Ellefson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 1,941
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 47
- Two or more races2.1% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ellefson
Ellefson 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
#14,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,137
-25 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 1,076 places
2020
#13,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,062
-75 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,000 | 2,162 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,076 | 2,137 | 0.72 | -25 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 1,076 places |
| 2020 | #13,999 | 2,062 | 0.69 | -75 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 77 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 Ellefson 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 | #14,076 | #13,999 | 0.5% |
| Count | 2,137 | 2,062 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.69 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ellefson bearers went from 2,137 to 2,062 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,076 to #13,999.
FAQ
Ellefson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ellefson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,365 living Americans carry the surname Ellefson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,928 residents.
How common is Ellefson?
Ellefson ranks #13,999 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,062 people with the surname Ellefson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,365), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ellefson.
Has Ellefson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ellefson went from 2,137 recorded bearers to 2,062. That is a decrease of 75 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,076 to #13,999.
What does the Census say about the background of Ellefson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellefson, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Ellefson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (1,941 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ellefson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Ellefson (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 Ellefson mean?
Derived from a patronymic name meaning "son of Eilif," a Scandinavian given name meaning "ever life" or "eternal life." 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 Ellefson (0.69 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 Ellefson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.