Ellers last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Ellers

An English surname derived from the Old English word "æl" meaning elk or deer.

Ellers, 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 Ellers surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ellers in America

Ellers is the 54864th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ellers surname appeared 375 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 Ellers.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ellers 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 54864 42604 25.16%
Count 375 479 -24.36%
Proportion per 100k 0.13 0.18 -32.26%

The history of the last name Ellers

The surname Ellers is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "eller," which means "alder tree" or "elder tree." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals who lived near or were associated with these types of trees.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Ellers can be found in the chronicles of the town of Aachen, located in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, dating back to the 14th century. These records mention a family bearing the name Ellers who were prominent citizens of the town.

In the 16th century, variations of the spelling were also documented, such as "Ellern" and "Ellersen," which further reinforces the connection to the alder or elder tree. During this period, the name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Westphalia and Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany.

Notable individuals who carried the Ellers surname include Johann Christoph Ellers, a German composer and organist who lived from 1701 to 1778. He was renowned for his contributions to the development of the Baroque style of music in Germany.

Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Ellers, a German jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1815 to 1889. He made significant contributions to the field of civil law and authored several influential works on the subject.

In the 19th century, the name Ellers also found its way to the United States through German immigration. One notable American bearing this surname was John Ellers, a successful businessman and philanthropist who was born in 1840 in Pennsylvania. He made his fortune in the coal mining industry and donated generously to various charitable causes.

Additionally, the Ellers surname can be traced to the village of Ellershausen in Lower Saxony, Germany, which is believed to have been named after the alder or elder trees that were abundant in the area. This further reinforces the connection between the surname and the botanical origins of the name.

Throughout history, the Ellers surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, businessmen, and more, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who bear this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ellers

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

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 Ellers was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.07% 349
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 3.73% 14

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 Ellers has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.07% 94.99% -2.04%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% 1.25% (S)%
Hispanic 3.73% 2.71% 31.68%

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

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

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"Ellers last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/ellers-surname-popularity/.

"Ellers last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/ellers-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Ellers last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/ellers-surname-popularity/.

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