2000
#9,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,987
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Elson
Derived from a place name meaning "Elli's son," referring to a descendant of someone named Elli.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,065 Americans carry the last name Elson. That puts it at #11,295 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,828 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elson 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Elson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,828
Census rank
#11,295
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,673 bearers of the surname Elson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11295th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elson, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elson
The surname ELSON is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English personal name "Æl," meaning "source" or "spring," combined with the patronymic suffix "-son," indicating "son of."
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, dated 1195, where one Richard Elson is mentioned. Additionally, the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273 reference a William Elson, suggesting the name's presence in the region during that era.
Historically, the ELSON name has been associated with various localities across England, particularly in the counties of Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and Norfolk. Some of the earliest known references to place names related to the surname include Elston, a village in Nottinghamshire, and Elsenham, a parish in Essex.
One notable bearer of the ELSON name was Sir Arthur Elson (1577-1651), an English landowner and Member of Parliament who represented the borough of Grantham in the early 17th century. Another significant figure was John Elson (1644-1728), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, from 1701 until his death.
In the realm of literature, John Elson (1816-1855) was a British poet and author known for his works such as "The Minstrel's Curse" and "The Poetical Works of John Elson." Additionally, Arthur Vaughan Elson (1872-1957) was an American author and educator who wrote extensively on various subjects, including music, literature, and history.
Another prominent individual bearing the ELSON name was Sir Arthur Elson (1871-1962), a British civil engineer and public servant who played a crucial role in the construction of the London Underground railway system in the early 20th century.
While the ELSON surname may have evolved over time and taken on various spellings, such as Ellson, Elston, or Elliston, its origins can be traced back to the Old English personal name "Æl" and the patronymic tradition of identifying individuals as the "son of" their fathers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elson
Among Census respondents with the surname Elson, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Elson 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 Elson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 2,287
- Black or African American5.2% · 138
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 112
- Two or more races3.4% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elson
Elson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,126
+139 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 339 places
2020
#11,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,673
-453 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 989 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,967 | 2,987 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,306 | 3,126 | 1.06 | +139 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 339 places |
| 2020 | #11,295 | 2,673 | 0.89 | -453 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 989 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 Elson 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 | #10,306 | #11,295 | -9.6% |
| Count | 3,126 | 2,673 | -14.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 0.89 | -15.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elson bearers went from 3,126 to 2,673 (-14.5% change). The surname moved down 989 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,306 to #11,295.
FAQ
Elson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,065 living Americans carry the surname Elson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,828 residents.
How common is Elson?
Elson ranks #11,295 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,673 people with the surname Elson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,065), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Elson.
Has Elson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elson went from 3,126 recorded bearers to 2,673. That is a decrease of 453 (-14.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,306 to #11,295.
What does the Census say about the background of Elson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elson, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Elson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (2,287 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Black (5.2%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Elson (2000, 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 Elson mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "Elli's son," referring to a descendant of someone named Elli. 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 Elson (0.89 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 common is the surname Elson?
See how many people are called Elson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.