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

Eloff, 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 Eloff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eloff in America

Eloff is the 130610th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eloff surname appeared 130 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 Eloff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eloff 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 Eloff

The surname ELOFF has its origins in the Netherlands, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch words "elf" and "hof," which together translate to "elf court" or "elf residence." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a location or property associated with elves or mythical creatures.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ELOFF surname can be found in the Dutch municipality of Renswoude, where a family bearing this name resided in the late 1500s. The name appears in various historical records from that region, often spelled slightly differently as "Eloff" or "Elov."

In the 17th century, the ELOFF family gained prominence in the Dutch Republic, with several members holding influential positions. Notably, Jan Eloff (1625-1698) was a renowned merchant and trader who established successful business ventures in Amsterdam and the Dutch East Indies.

As the Dutch began to colonize parts of South Africa in the late 17th century, some members of the ELOFF family emigrated to the Cape Colony. One of the earliest recorded settlers was Hendrik Eloff (1672-1738), who arrived in 1688 and became a prominent farmer in the region.

In the 19th century, the ELOFF name gained further recognition in South Africa. Jacobus Eloff (1805-1888) was a respected Afrikaner leader and member of the Volksraad (the governing council) of the South African Republic (now part of modern-day South Africa). His son, Paul Kruger Eloff (1844-1904), served as the President of the South African Republic from 1895 to 1899, playing a pivotal role in the nation's history.

Another notable figure was Theodorus Eloff (1767-1836), a Dutch Reformed Church minister who served in various congregations in South Africa. His descendants continued to hold influential roles in the country's religious and political spheres.

While the ELOFF surname is most prevalent in South Africa today, it can also be found in other parts of the world, including the Netherlands, where it originated, and countries with Dutch heritage or colonial ties, such as Suriname and Indonesia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eloff

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

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

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

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