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

Elzey, 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 Elzey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elzey in America

Elzey is the 19425th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elzey surname appeared 1,391 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 Elzey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elzey 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 Elzey

The surname Elzey has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon regions of medieval England, where it emerged as a locational name derived from various place names that contained the Old English word "ealh," meaning "temple." This suggests that the name's bearers may have lived near a pagan shrine or sacred site.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Ealesius" and "Ealesio." These entries refer to landowners in various counties, indicating that the name was already somewhat widespread by the late 11th century.

As time passed, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Ealsy, Ealsey, Elsey, and eventually Elzey. This diversity of spellings was common in the era before standardized spelling conventions were established.

In the 13th century, a prominent figure named William Elzey was recorded as a landowner in Oxfordshire. Around the same time, a John Elzey was listed as a freeman in the town of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.

During the 16th century, the name Elzey was particularly prevalent in the county of Gloucestershire, where several families bearing this surname were documented in parish records and local histories.

One notable bearer of the name was Thomas Elzey (1550-1624), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol. His descendants continued to play influential roles in the city's affairs for several generations.

In the 17th century, the Elzey family spread to other parts of England and even across the Atlantic to the American colonies. One early American bearer of the name was John Elzey (1625-1687), who settled in Virginia and became a successful tobacco planter.

Another significant figure was Samuel Elzey (1776-1854), an American military officer who served in the War of 1812 and later became a prominent landowner and politician in Maryland.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, various Elzey families were recorded in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire.

One notable individual from this period was Arnold Elzey (1816-1900), a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War, who fought in several major battles and later became a prominent lawyer in Maryland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elzey

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

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

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

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