2000
#5,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,423
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Elston
From an English place name meaning "Elli's town," derived from the Old English personal name "Elli" combined with "tun" (settlement, town).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,322 Americans carry the last name Elston. That puts it at #6,008 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,216 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elston 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 Elston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.3K
1 in 54,216
Census rank
#6,008
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,513 bearers of the surname Elston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6008th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elston, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elston
The surname Elston is of English origin, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from the place name Elston, which refers to various locations across England, including villages in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Elvestune" in reference to the village of Elston in Nottinghamshire. This suggests that the name was already in use during the 11th century.
The name Elston is thought to be derived from the Old English words "ælf" meaning "elf" or "supernatural being" and "tun" meaning "farm" or "settlement." This combination likely referred to a settlement or farm associated with elves or supernatural beings in the folklore of the time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Elvestone" and "Elvestune" in various historical records and manuscripts. One notable individual from this period was William de Elston, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1227 in relation to a land dispute in Nottinghamshire.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Elston became more widespread across England. John Elston (c. 1550-1620), a prominent lawyer and member of the Inner Temple in London, is one of the well-known figures from this time period. Another notable individual was Sir Ralph Elston (1588-1652), a member of Parliament and landowner in Yorkshire.
In the 18th century, the name Elston was associated with several notable individuals, including Samuel Elston (1717-1788), a prominent Baptist minister in London, and Mary Elston (1736-1805), a renowned English ceramicist known for her delicate porcelain figurines.
As the centuries progressed, the Elston surname continued to be found across various parts of England, with several individuals leaving their mark in various fields. Thomas Elston (1808-1888) was a notable architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the Midlands region of England, while Sir Arthur Elston (1865-1942) was a distinguished jurist and judge in the British colonial service in India.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elston
Among Census respondents with the surname Elston, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Elston 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 Elston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.0% · 3,805
- Black or African American21.7% · 1,198
- Two or more races4.6% · 256
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 194
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elston
Elston 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
#5,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,803
+380 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Down 88 places
2020
#6,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,513
-290 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,846 | 5,423 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,934 | 5,803 | 1.97 | +380 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 88 places |
| 2020 | #6,008 | 5,513 | 1.84 | -290 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 74 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 Elston 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 | #5,934 | #6,008 | -1.2% |
| Count | 5,803 | 5,513 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.97 | 1.84 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elston bearers went from 5,803 to 5,513 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,934 to #6,008.
FAQ
Elston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elston?
Name Census estimates that about 6,322 living Americans carry the surname Elston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,216 residents.
How common is Elston?
Elston ranks #6,008 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,513 people with the surname Elston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,322), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Elston.
Has Elston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elston went from 5,803 recorded bearers to 5,513. That is a decrease of 290 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,934 to #6,008.
What does the Census say about the background of Elston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elston, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Elston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.0% (3,805 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.0%), Black (21.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Elston (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 Elston mean?
From an English place name meaning "Elli's town," derived from the Old English personal name "Elli" combined with "tun" (settlement, town). 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 Elston (1.84 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 Elston?
Find out how many people have the surname Elston on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.