2000
#11,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,511
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Ellinger
A German habitational surname derived from any of several places named Ellingen, meaning "place of Ello's people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,701 Americans carry the last name Ellinger. That puts it at #12,557 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,899 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ellinger 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
2.7K
1 in 126,899
Census rank
#12,557
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,355 bearers of the surname Ellinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12557th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ellinger
The surname Ellinger originated in Germany, where it first appeared in records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "ellen," which means "courage" or "bravery." The suffix "-ing" or "-inger" was commonly added to surnames in German-speaking regions, indicating a place of origin or a patronymic name.
In its early days, the name was often spelled with variations such as Elinger, Ellenger, and Ellingher. These variations were common due to inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping practices at the time. The name was particularly prevalent in regions like Bavaria and Swabia, where it was associated with noble families and landowners.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ellinger can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions an individual named Conradus Ellinger in the year 1187. Another notable reference is found in the Österreichisches Klosterbuch, a monastic record from Austria, which mentions a monk named Johannes Ellinger in 1294.
The Ellinger surname gained prominence in the 14th and 15th centuries, with notable figures such as Hans Ellinger (c. 1370 - 1435), a renowned merchant and burgher of Nuremberg, and Ulrich Ellinger (1410 - 1478), a respected jurist and diplomat from Augsburg. During the Renaissance period, the Ellingers were influential members of the German mercantile class and held positions of power in various cities and territories.
In the 16th century, the Ellinger name appeared in the records of the Protestant Reformation, with individuals like Martin Ellinger (1508 - 1573), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg, and Christoph Ellinger (1521 - 1594), a Protestant pastor and reformer from Nuremberg.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Ellinger name spread across Europe and beyond, with notable figures such as Johann Ellinger (1624 - 1697), a German composer and organist, and Johann Philipp Ellinger (1732 - 1801), a Bavarian painter and engraver. The name also found its way to other parts of the world, including the Americas, through emigration and exploration.
In summary, the surname Ellinger has a rich history rooted in German culture and tradition, with early references dating back to the 12th century. Over the centuries, individuals bearing this name have made significant contributions across various fields, including commerce, law, theology, art, and music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ellinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ellinger 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 Ellinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 2,137
- Two or more races4.2% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 67
- Black or African American1.5% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ellinger
Ellinger 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
#11,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,737
+226 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 3 places
2020
#12,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,355
-382 bearers (-14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 1,060 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,500 | 2,511 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,497 | 2,737 | 0.93 | +226 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 3 places |
| 2020 | #12,557 | 2,355 | 0.79 | -382 bearers (-14.0%) | Down 1,060 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 Ellinger 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 | #11,497 | #12,557 | -9.2% |
| Count | 2,737 | 2,355 | -14.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.79 | -15.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ellinger bearers went from 2,737 to 2,355 (-14.0% change). The surname moved down 1,060 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,497 to #12,557.
FAQ
Ellinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ellinger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,701 living Americans carry the surname Ellinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,899 residents.
How common is Ellinger?
Ellinger ranks #12,557 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,355 people with the surname Ellinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,701), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Ellinger.
Has Ellinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ellinger went from 2,737 recorded bearers to 2,355. That is a decrease of 382 (-14.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,497 to #12,557.
What does the Census say about the background of Ellinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Ellinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (2,137 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ellinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Ellinger (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 Ellinger mean?
A German habitational surname derived from any of several places named Ellingen, meaning "place of Ello's people." 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 Ellinger (0.79 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 share the surname Ellinger?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.