2000
#53,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 360
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Ellingboe
A place name referring to someone from a place called Ellingbo in Norway.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 409 Americans carry the last name Ellingboe. That puts it at #60,850 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 838,030 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ellingboe 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
409
1 in 838,030
Census rank
#60,850
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
357
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 357 bearers of the surname Ellingboe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 60850th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellingboe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ellingboe
The surname Ellingboe has its origins in Norway, dating back to the 9th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse words "Ellingr" and "bo," translating to "Ellingr's farm" or "Ellingr's homestead." The name likely originated in the region of Hedmark, situated in the eastern part of Norway.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Gulating Law, a Norwegian provincial law code from the 13th century. The name is mentioned in connection with land ownership and legal disputes, indicating its presence among the landowning class of the time.
During the Viking Age, individuals bearing the name Ellingboe may have been involved in the exploration and settlement of new lands. However, historical records from this period are scarce, and definitive evidence of their role is limited.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various Norwegian church records and land registries. One notable individual was Arne Ellingboe, a farmer and landowner born in 1542 in the village of Elverum, Hedmark.
As the centuries progressed, the name spread to other parts of Norway, and variations in spelling emerged, such as Ellingboe, Ellingboo, and Ellingbå. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation.
In the 19th century, a significant wave of Norwegian immigration to North America brought the surname Ellingboe to the United States and Canada. One of the earliest known immigrants was Lars Ellingboe, who arrived in Minnesota in 1846 and settled in the Red River Valley.
Another notable figure was Peder Ellingboe, born in 1832 in Hedmark, Norway. He immigrated to the United States in the late 1860s and became a successful farmer and community leader in Goodhue County, Minnesota.
During the 20th century, the name Ellingboe gained recognition through individuals like Einar Ellingboe (1892-1978), a Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Ellingboe Foundation in Minneapolis.
Other notable individuals with this surname include Kristian Ellingboe (1841-1918), a Norwegian-American Lutheran minister and educator who served as the president of St. Olaf College in Minnesota, and Bjarne Ellingboe (1914-2002), a Norwegian-American businessman and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Norway from 1973 to 1976.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ellingboe
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellingboe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ellingboe 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 Ellingboe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 334
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 16
- Two or more races0.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ellingboe
Ellingboe 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
#57,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 354
-6 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 3,734 places
2020
#60,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 357
+3 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 3,334 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #53,782 | 360 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #57,516 | 354 | 0.12 | -6 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,734 places |
| 2020 | #60,850 | 357 | 0.12 | +3 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 3,334 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 Ellingboe 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 | #57,516 | #60,850 | -5.8% |
| Count | 354 | 357 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ellingboe bearers went from 354 to 357 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,334 positions in the national ranking, going from #57,516 to #60,850.
FAQ
Ellingboe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ellingboe?
Name Census estimates that about 409 living Americans carry the surname Ellingboe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 838,030 residents.
How common is Ellingboe?
Ellingboe ranks #60,850 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 357 people with the surname Ellingboe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (409), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Ellingboe.
Has Ellingboe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ellingboe went from 354 recorded bearers to 357. That is an increase of 3 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #57,516 to #60,850.
What does the Census say about the background of Ellingboe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellingboe, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Ellingboe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (334 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ellingboe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Ellingboe (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 Ellingboe mean?
A place name referring to someone from a place called Ellingbo in Norway. 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 Ellingboe (0.12 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 common is the surname Ellingboe?
Find out how many people are called Ellingboe on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.