2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Elway
An English place name referring to a pathway for livestock near a river or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 149 Americans carry the last name Elway. That puts it at #134,631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,300,365 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elway 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
149
1 in 2,300,365
Census rank
#134,631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
130
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 130 bearers of the surname Elway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 134631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elway, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elway
Among Census respondents with the surname Elway, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Elway 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 Elway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 8
- Two or more races2.3% · 3
- Black or African American1.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elway
Elway 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+11 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 454 places
2020
#134,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-4 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 454 places |
| 2020 | #134,631 | 130 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 7,137 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 Elway 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 | #127,494 | #134,631 | -5.6% |
| Count | 134 | 130 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elway bearers went from 134 to 130 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 7,137 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #134,631.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Elway
FAQ
Elway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elway?
Name Census estimates that about 149 living Americans carry the surname Elway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,300,365 residents.
How common is Elway?
Elway ranks #134,631 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 130 people with the surname Elway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (149), 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 Elway.
Has Elway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elway went from 134 recorded bearers to 130. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #134,631.
What does the Census say about the background of Elway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elway, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Elway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (6.2%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Elway (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 Elway mean?
An English place name referring to a pathway for livestock near a river or stream. 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 Elway (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 Americans have the surname Elway?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.