2000
#756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,459
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.37
Uncommon Last name
Ellison
Derived from the English place name meaning "Ellis's son" or "son of Ellis."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 46,763 Americans carry the last name Ellison. That puts it at #829 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,330 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ellison 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ellison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
47K
1 in 7,330
Census rank
#829
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
41K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 40,780 bearers of the surname Ellison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 829th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellison, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ellison
The surname Ellison has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English personal name Ella or Ellen, combined with the suffix "-son," meaning "son of." This suggests that the name originally referred to the son of someone named Ella or Ellen.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ellison can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which lists a Ralph Elinson in Nottinghamshire. Additionally, the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, includes references to places like Ellestune and Ellenshow, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
The name Ellison has been present in various parts of England over the centuries, with notable concentrations in Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland. Ellison was also a common surname among the Quakers, a religious group that emerged in the 17th century, with several prominent individuals bearing the name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Ellison was Sir Ralph Ellison, a knight who lived in the 13th century and served as the Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1261. Another notable figure was Robert Ellison (1613-1678), an English Puritan minister who played a significant role in the religious turmoil of the 17th century.
In the literary world, Ralph Ellison (1914-1994) was an acclaimed African American novelist and scholar, best known for his novel "Invisible Man," which won the National Book Award in 1953. Harlan Ellison (1934-2018) was a prolific and influential American writer, famous for his works in the science fiction and fantasy genres, including the collection "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream."
Other notable individuals with the surname Ellison include James Ellison (1910-1993), an American actor known for his roles in Western movies, and Larry Ellison (born 1944), the co-founder and former CEO of the software company Oracle Corporation.
While the surname Ellison has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and settlement patterns. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period and the Old English language, reflecting the rich history and evolution of surnames in Britain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ellison
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellison, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ellison 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 Ellison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.4% · 25,835
- Black or African American27.3% · 11,141
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,861
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,359
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 313
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 271
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ellison
Ellison 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
#809
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,827
+1,368 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 14.52
Rank movement Down 53 places
2020
#829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,780
-2,047 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 13.64
Rank movement Down 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #756 | 41,459 | 15.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #809 | 42,827 | 14.52 | +1,368 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 53 places |
| 2020 | #829 | 40,780 | 13.64 | -2,047 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 20 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 Ellison 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 | #809 | #829 | -2.5% |
| Count | 42,827 | 40,780 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 14.52 | 13.64 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ellison bearers went from 42,827 to 40,780 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #809 to #829.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ellison
FAQ
Ellison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ellison?
Name Census estimates that about 46,763 living Americans carry the surname Ellison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,330 residents.
How common is Ellison?
Ellison ranks #829 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 40,780 people with the surname Ellison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (46,763), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Ellison.
Has Ellison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ellison went from 42,827 recorded bearers to 40,780. That is a decrease of 2,047 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #809 to #829.
What does the Census say about the background of Ellison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ellison, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Ellison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.4% (25,835 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ellison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.4%), Black (27.3%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Ellison (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 Ellison mean?
Derived from the English place name meaning "Ellis's son" or "son of Ellis." 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 Ellison (13.64 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 Ellison?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.