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

Elway, 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 Elway surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elway in America

Elway is the 127494th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elway surname appeared 134 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 Elway.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elway 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 Elway

The surname ELWAY is believed to have originated in England. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "el" meaning eel and "weg" meaning way, suggesting the name referred to someone who lived near a stream or body of water where eels were found.

Records show that the name was present in the county of Northamptonshire and nearby areas as early as the 13th century. Some of the earliest known spellings include Ellewei, Elwey, and Eluweye. The name does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, suggesting it emerged later during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was John Elway, who was mentioned in court rolls from Cambridgeshire in 1273. Another early bearer was William Elway, recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1327.

The name may be related to the place name Elway in Bedfordshire, which was recorded as Ellewey in the 13th century. This could suggest the surname originated as a habitational name for someone who hailed from that location.

Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname ELWAY include:

1. John Elway (1460-1522), an English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the Common Pleas.
2. Richard Elway (1570-1644), an English clergyman who was a rector in Lincolnshire.
3. Samuel Elway (1677-1745), a British merchant and philanthropist from Gloucestershire.
4. John Elway (1719-1789), an English landowner and magistrate from Northamptonshire.
5. John Elway (born 1960), an American professional football player and executive, considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the National Football League.

While the surname ELWAY is not among the most common in English-speaking countries, it has a long and interesting history dating back to medieval times, with its origins rooted in the English countryside and waterways.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elway

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

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

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

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