2000
#18,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Elzey
A surname derived from the place name Elzee in France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,534 Americans carry the last name Elzey. That puts it at #20,121 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 223,438 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elzey 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
1.5K
1 in 223,438
Census rank
#20,121
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,338 bearers of the surname Elzey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20121st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elzey, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elzey
Among Census respondents with the surname Elzey, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Elzey 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 Elzey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.2% · 953
- Black or African American20.4% · 273
- Two or more races4.0% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elzey
Elzey 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
#19,425
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,391
+38 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Down 677 places
2020
#20,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,338
-53 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Down 696 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,748 | 1,353 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,425 | 1,391 | 0.47 | +38 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 677 places |
| 2020 | #20,121 | 1,338 | 0.45 | -53 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 696 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 Elzey 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 | #19,425 | #20,121 | -3.6% |
| Count | 1,391 | 1,338 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.45 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elzey bearers went from 1,391 to 1,338 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 696 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,425 to #20,121.
FAQ
Elzey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elzey?
Name Census estimates that about 1,534 living Americans carry the surname Elzey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 223,438 residents.
How common is Elzey?
Elzey ranks #20,121 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.45 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 1,338 people with the surname Elzey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,534), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.45 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 Elzey.
Has Elzey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elzey went from 1,391 recorded bearers to 1,338. That is a decrease of 53 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,425 to #20,121.
What does the Census say about the background of Elzey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elzey, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.4%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Elzey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.2% (953 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elzey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.2%), Black (20.4%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Elzey (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 Elzey mean?
A surname derived from the place name Elzee in France. 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 Elzey (0.45 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 have the last name Elzey?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Elzey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.