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

Ells, 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 Ells surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ells in America

Ells is the 17745th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ells surname appeared 1,579 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ells.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ells 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.

The history of the last name Ells

The surname ELLS is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "eld" meaning "old" or "ancient." It is believed to have emerged as a descriptive surname in the 12th century, initially referring to someone who was considered elderly or venerable.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ELLS can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a person named Robert Eld is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use during the 12th century, possibly even earlier.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various medieval records, often spelled as "Eld" or "Elde." For instance, the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279 mention a person named Richard le Elde, indicating the use of the Norman-French prefix "le" before the surname.

During the 14th and 15th centuries, the name ELLS began to take on its modern spelling, as seen in records such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327, which list a person named John Elles. This spelling variation likely resulted from the transition from Old English to Middle English.

Notable individuals bearing the surname ELLS throughout history include William Elles (c. 1470-1545), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Carlisle from 1536 until his death. Another prominent figure was Sir Samuel Elles (1632-1692), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons and served as the Sheriff of London in 1681.

In the 18th century, the surname ELLS gained further recognition with individuals like Sir William Elles (1720-1804), a British naval officer and politician who served as the Governor of the Royal Naval Hospital at Greenwich. Additionally, John Elles (1761-1825) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and philosophy.

Moving into the 19th century, Sir Edmund Raven Elles (1831-1912) was a notable British army officer who served in the Crimean War and later became the Governor of the Royal Military College at Sandhurst.

Throughout its history, the surname ELLS has been linked to various place names, such as Elles Hall in Hertfordshire and Elles Green in Worcestershire, further solidifying its English origins and connections to the landscape.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ells

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

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 Ells was:

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

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

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

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