2000
#5,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,435
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Ellingson
Patronymic surname derived from the Scandinavian personal name Ellingr, meaning "son of Ellingr."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,176 Americans carry the last name Ellingson. That puts it at #6,104 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,498 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ellingson 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
6.2K
1 in 55,498
Census rank
#6,104
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,386 bearers of the surname Ellingson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6104th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellingson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ellingson
The surname Ellingson has its origins in Scandinavia, specifically in Norway. It is believed to have emerged during the Viking Age, around the 8th to 11th centuries AD. The name is a patronymic, meaning it was derived from the given name of the father or ancestor.
The name Ellingson is thought to be derived from the Old Norse name Erlingr, which means "descended from the earl" or "son of an earl." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have had noble or aristocratic roots, as earls held high positions in the social hierarchy of the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ellingson name can be found in the Landnámabók, an Icelandic book that documents the settlement of Iceland in the 9th and 10th centuries. The book mentions an individual named Erlingr Gamli, who lived in the late 9th century and was one of the first settlers in Iceland.
In Norway, the name Ellingson can be traced back to the 13th century, appearing in various medieval records and documents. One notable example is Erling Vidkunsson, a Norwegian nobleman who lived in the late 13th century and was a prominent figure in the civil wars that plagued Norway during that time.
As the name spread across Scandinavia, it also took on various spelling variations, such as Ellingsen, Ellingsson, and Erlendsson. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic differences within the region.
Throughout history, several individuals bearing the Ellingson surname have made notable contributions in various fields. One example is Peer Ellingson (1910-1982), a Norwegian-American engineer and inventor who played a crucial role in the development of the transistor radio and other electronic devices.
Another notable figure is Jens Ellingson (1858-1946), a Norwegian-American politician who served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the field of literature, Torborg Nedreaas (née Ellingson) (1906-1987) was a prominent Norwegian author known for her novels and short stories, which explored themes of identity, relationships, and societal norms.
Einar Ellingson (1906-1994) was a Norwegian-American educator and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of South Asian languages, particularly Sanskrit and Pali.
Lastly, Terje Ellingson (born 1948) is a Norwegian writer and journalist who has published numerous books and articles on topics ranging from political satire to travel literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ellingson
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellingson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ellingson 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 Ellingson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 5,028
- Two or more races3.0% · 164
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 33
- Black or African American0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ellingson
Ellingson 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
#6,130
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,590
+155 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.90
Rank movement Down 299 places
2020
#6,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,386
-204 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 1.80
Rank movement Up 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,831 | 5,435 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,130 | 5,590 | 1.90 | +155 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 299 places |
| 2020 | #6,104 | 5,386 | 1.80 | -204 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 26 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 Ellingson 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 | #6,130 | #6,104 | 0.4% |
| Count | 5,590 | 5,386 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.90 | 1.80 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ellingson bearers went from 5,590 to 5,386 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,130 to #6,104.
FAQ
Ellingson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ellingson?
Name Census estimates that about 6,176 living Americans carry the surname Ellingson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,498 residents.
How common is Ellingson?
Ellingson ranks #6,104 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,386 people with the surname Ellingson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,176), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ellingson.
Has Ellingson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ellingson went from 5,590 recorded bearers to 5,386. That is a decrease of 204 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,130 to #6,104.
What does the Census say about the background of Ellingson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellingson, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Ellingson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (5,028 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ellingson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Ellingson (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 Ellingson mean?
Patronymic surname derived from the Scandinavian personal name Ellingr, meaning "son of Ellingr." 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 Ellingson (1.80 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 Ellingson?
Find out how common the surname Ellingson is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.