Elman last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Elman

An anglicized form of the German surname Ellmann, meaning a measurer of goods.

Elman, 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 Elman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elman in America

Elman is the 27228th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elman surname appeared 888 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Elman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elman 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 27228 25147 7.95%
Count 888 925 -4.08%
Proportion per 100k 0.30 0.34 -12.50%

The history of the last name Elman

The surname ELMAN is of English origin, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English personal name Ælman, which combines the elements "ael" meaning "source" or "spring" and "man" meaning "man." The name likely originated in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, where it is most prevalent.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname ELMAN can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mention a Richard Elman. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also include references to individuals with the surname, such as Walter Elman and Robert Elman, both from Norfolk.

In the 14th century, the ELMAN surname appeared in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which listed a William Elman. The Poll Tax of Yorkshire in 1379 also recorded a Johannes Elman.

Notable individuals with the surname ELMAN throughout history include:

  1. Benjamin Elman (1637-1706), an English Puritan minister and author from Arundel, Sussex.
  2. John Philip Elman (1735-1819), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
  3. Sarah Elman (1805-1876), a British philanthropist and social reformer from Berkshire.
  4. Mischa Elman (1891-1967), a renowned Russian-American violinist and composer.
  5. Zigmund Elman (1914-1968), a Polish-American psychologist known for his contributions to the field of learning theory.

The surname ELMAN has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout England, such as Elman Farm in Wiltshire and Elman's Green in Buckinghamshire. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname who lived or owned property in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elman

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

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 Elman was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 90.77% 806
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.24% 11
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 3.60% 32
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 4.05% 36

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 90.77% 95.14% -4.70%
Black 1.24% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 3.60% 1.51% 81.80%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% 1.19% (S)%
Hispanic 4.05% 1.84% 75.04%

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

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

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"Elman last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/elman-surname-popularity/.

"Elman last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/elman-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Elman last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/elman-surname-popularity/.

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