2000
#12,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,237
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Mcelfresh
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Giolla Fraoich," meaning "son of the servant of Fraoch."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,493 Americans carry the last name Mcelfresh. That puts it at #13,394 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,487 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcelfresh 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
2.5K
1 in 137,487
Census rank
#13,394
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,174 bearers of the surname Mcelfresh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13394th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelfresh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcelfresh
The surname McElfresh has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from the Scottish Gaelic language and is a combination of the prefix "Mac," meaning "son of," and the name "Elfresh" or "Elfrith," which is thought to have derived from a personal name or a place name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name McElfresh can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document that recorded the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. This suggests that the name was already in use and established by the late 13th century.
In the 16th century, a variation of the name, "McElfrish," appeared in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls, which were records of financial transactions and land holdings. This spelling variation highlights the fluidity of surnames during that time period, as they were often influenced by local dialects and pronunciation.
One notable individual bearing the McElfresh surname was John McElfresh, born in 1742 in Ayrshire, Scotland. He emigrated to America in the late 18th century and fought in the American Revolutionary War. Another early bearer of the name was William McElfresh, born in 1789 in County Antrim, Ireland, who later settled in Pennsylvania and became a prominent businessman.
In the 19th century, the McElfresh surname gained recognition with the birth of Samuel McElfresh (1810-1872), a Scottish-American politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate. Another significant figure was James McElfresh (1847-1923), a Scottish-born farmer and businessman who helped establish the town of McElfresh, Iowa, which was named after him.
The McElfresh name has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout Scotland, such as McElfresh Hill in Ayrshire and McElfresh Farm in Dumfriesshire. These place names further solidify the longstanding presence of the surname in Scottish history and its deep roots in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcelfresh
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelfresh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcelfresh 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 Mcelfresh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,000
- Two or more races3.5% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcelfresh
Mcelfresh 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
#13,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,237
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 869 places
2020
#13,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,174
-63 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 157 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,682 | 2,237 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,551 | 2,237 | 0.76 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 869 places |
| 2020 | #13,394 | 2,174 | 0.73 | -63 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 157 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 Mcelfresh 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 | #13,551 | #13,394 | 1.2% |
| Count | 2,237 | 2,174 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.73 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcelfresh bearers went from 2,237 to 2,174 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 157 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,551 to #13,394.
FAQ
Mcelfresh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcelfresh?
Name Census estimates that about 2,493 living Americans carry the surname Mcelfresh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,487 residents.
How common is Mcelfresh?
Mcelfresh ranks #13,394 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,174 people with the surname Mcelfresh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,493), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Mcelfresh.
Has Mcelfresh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcelfresh went from 2,237 recorded bearers to 2,174. That is a decrease of 63 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,551 to #13,394.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcelfresh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcelfresh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Mcelfresh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,000 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcelfresh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Mcelfresh (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 Mcelfresh mean?
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Mac Giolla Fraoich," meaning "son of the servant of Fraoch." 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 Mcelfresh (0.73 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 Mcelfresh?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Mcelfresh on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.