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

Elser, 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 Elser surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elser in America

Elser is the 18018th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elser surname appeared 1,549 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 Elser.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elser 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 Elser

The surname ELSER has its origins in Germany, believed to have emerged in the 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "Elsen," which referred to a type of alder tree. This suggests that the name may have initially denoted someone who lived near an alder grove or worked with alder wood.

ELSER is predominantly found in southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. In historical records, variations of the spelling include Elsser, Elsere, and Elseren, reflecting regional dialects and scribal interpretations.

One of the earliest documented mentions of the name ELSER dates back to 1385 in the town of Augsburg, where a certain Johannes Elser is listed as a landowner. Another notable reference is found in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a 15th-century world history book, which includes an illustration of a person named Hans Elser.

In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the ELSER name was Georg Elser (1503-1567), a German theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and served as a pastor in several German cities.

During the 17th century, the name ELSER appears in the records of the city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a family of tanners and leatherworkers carried this surname. One member, Christoph Elser (1628-1701), was a respected master craftsman and guild leader.

Another notable figure was Johann Philipp Elser (1738-1810), a German architect and military engineer who designed several fortifications and government buildings during the Napoleonic Wars. His works can still be seen in cities like Mainz and Koblenz.

In more recent history, Georg Elser (1903-1945) was a German woodworker who attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1939 with a bomb planted in a Munich beer hall. Although he failed, Elser's act of resistance against the Nazi regime has been recognized as a significant act of courage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elser

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

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

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

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