2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Elste
A surname derived from the German word for "eldest".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Elste. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elste 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Elste in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elste, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elste
The surname ELSTE originated in Germany, with its earliest known recordings dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "elster," which means "magpie" or "black and white bird." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname or occupational name for someone who worked with or had an association with these birds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ELSTE surname can be found in the historical records of the city of Lübeck, where a certain Hinrich Elste was mentioned in a document dated 1285. This indicates that the name was already well-established in northern Germany by the late medieval period.
In the 14th century, the ELSTE name appeared in various other regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. For example, a certain Johann Elste from Nuremberg was listed in the city's tax records in 1372. Additionally, a Hans Elste from Leipzig was mentioned in a legal document from 1406.
By the 16th century, the ELSTE surname had spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Scandinavia. In Denmark, a prominent individual named Peder Elste (1530-1604) served as a merchant and city councilor in Copenhagen.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ELSTE name in England can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Islington, London, where a certain William Elste was baptized in 1612. This suggests that the name had already been introduced to England by the early 17th century, possibly through German or Dutch immigrants.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the ELSTE surname. These include Johann Heinrich Elste (1612-1688), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg; Christian Friedrich Elste (1778-1854), a German theologian and author; and Hermann Elste (1857-1920), a German author and journalist who wrote extensively on the history of the city of Lübeck.
Other individuals with the ELSTE surname include Friedrich Wilhelm Elste (1814-1891), a German jurist and politician who served as a member of the Prussian House of Deputies, and Otto Elste (1886-1954), a German architect and urban planner who was instrumental in the reconstruction of several German cities after World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elste
Among Census respondents with the surname Elste, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Elste 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 Elste surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elste
Elste 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,288 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-9 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,473 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 3,288 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 4,473 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 Elste 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 | #151,532 | #156,005 | -3.0% |
| Count | 108 | 99 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elste bearers went from 108 to 99 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 4,473 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #156,005.
FAQ
Elste surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elste?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Elste. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Elste?
Elste ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Elste. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Elste.
Has Elste become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elste went from 108 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Elste?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elste, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Elste in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elste appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Elste (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 Elste mean?
A surname derived from the German word for "eldest". 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 Elste (0.03 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 Elste?
Want to know how many people have the surname Elste? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.