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

Elsesser, 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 Elsesser surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elsesser in America

Elsesser is the 43006th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elsesser surname appeared 503 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 Elsesser.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elsesser 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 Elsesser

The surname Elsesser originates from Germany, first appearing in records from the 16th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "else", meaning "swan", and the suffix "-ser" denoting a person's occupation or place of origin. This suggests the name likely referred to someone who lived near a body of water frequented by swans or whose profession involved working with these birds.

One of the earliest known references to the Elsesser name comes from a 1567 tax record in the city of Nuremberg, which lists a "Hans Elsesser" as a resident. Further records from this time period show the name spelled in various ways, such as "Elsasser", "Elsasser", and "Elsesser", reflecting regional differences in dialect and pronunciation.

In the 17th century, the Elsesser name appears in church records from the town of Bamberg, Bavaria, where a "Johann Elsesser" is recorded as being born in 1632. This suggests the name had spread to other parts of southern Germany by this time.

One notable figure with the Elsesser surname was Johann Friedrich Elsesser (1771-1845), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Marburg. His writings on ethics and moral philosophy were influential in his time.

Another individual of note was Karl Elsesser (1853-1917), a German industrialist and engineer who co-founded the Elsasser Machine Works, a major manufacturer of textile machinery based in Saxony. His company played a significant role in the industrialization of the region.

In the 19th century, the Elsesser name can also be found in records from the United States, likely due to German immigration during this period. One early American with this surname was Jacob Elsesser (1820-1899), who settled in Pennsylvania and worked as a farmer.

While less common today, the Elsesser surname maintains its roots in Germany and the surrounding regions of central Europe, reflecting its origins as an occupational name tied to the presence of swans in the area centuries ago.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elsesser

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!