2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Elshaug
A Norwegian topographic surname referring to someone living by an alder tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Elshaug. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elshaug surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Elshaug in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elshaug, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elshaug
The surname Elshaug is of Norwegian origin, originating in the late medieval period around the 15th century. It is believed to derive from the Old Norse words "elgr" meaning "elk" or "moose" and "haug" meaning "hill" or "mound", suggesting the name may have originally referred to a place or location where elk were found near a hill or raised ground.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Elshaug can be traced back to a tax record from the Hordaland region of western Norway in 1520, where a farmer named Olav Elshaug is listed as a landowner. This suggests the name may have initially been a descriptive byname or a topographic surname before becoming an inherited family name.
In the 17th century, the name appears in church records from the Møre og Romsdal region, where a family of farmers and landowners with the surname Elshaug were prominent members of their local community. One notable figure from this time was Tore Elshaug, born in 1642, who served as a local judge and magistrate.
During the 19th century, as immigration to North America increased, several individuals with the surname Elshaug made the journey across the Atlantic, seeking new opportunities in the United States and Canada. One such immigrant was Nils Elshaug, born in 1822, who settled in Wisconsin and became a successful farmer and landowner.
Another notable figure was Inga Elshaug, born in 1875 in Norway, who emigrated to the United States in the early 1900s and became a prominent activist and advocate for women's rights and suffrage in Minnesota.
While not a particularly common surname, the Elshaug name has been carried by individuals throughout history, with various spellings and variations such as Elshaugen, Elshaugar, and Elshaugr appearing in historical records and documents from Norway and other Scandinavian regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elshaug
Among Census respondents with the surname Elshaug, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Elshaug bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Elshaug surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 100
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elshaug
Elshaug appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+6 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,242 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.7%) | Up 6,242 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Elshaug surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #154,907 | #148,665 | 4.0% |
| Count | 105 | 111 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elshaug bearers went from 105 to 111 (+5.7% change). The surname moved up 6,242 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #148,665.
FAQ
Elshaug surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elshaug?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Elshaug. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Elshaug?
Elshaug ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Elshaug. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Elshaug.
Has Elshaug become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elshaug went from 105 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 6 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Elshaug?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elshaug, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (2.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Elshaug in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elshaug appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (2.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Elshaug (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Elshaug mean?
A Norwegian topographic surname referring to someone living by an alder tree. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Elshaug (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Elshaug?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Elshaug on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.