Elliston last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Elliston

An English locational surname derived from the place name Elliston.

Elliston, 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 Elliston surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Elliston in America

Elliston is the 20019th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Elliston surname appeared 1,337 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 Elliston.

We can also compare 2010 data for Elliston 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 20019 21088 -5.20%
Count 1,337 1,161 14.09%
Proportion per 100k 0.45 0.43 4.55%

The history of the last name Elliston

The surname Elliston has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval era. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ealr" meaning "elder tree" and "tun" meaning "town" or "settlement." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place where elder trees grew abundantly or a settlement near an area with elder trees.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable entry is in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where the name appears as "de Alrestun." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are references to places with similar names, such as "Alreston" in Staffordshire and "Alreston" in Derbyshire. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname Elliston.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Elliston was Sir William Elliston, who lived during the reign of King Edward III in the 14th century. He was a prominent landowner and served as a member of parliament for the county of Lincolnshire.

Another notable figure was John Elliston, born in 1576, who was a renowned playwright and actor during the Elizabethan era. He was particularly known for his roles in the works of William Shakespeare and is mentioned in the records of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, a prominent theatrical company of the time.

In the 17th century, a prominent Elliston was Robert Elliston, born in 1646. He was a successful merchant and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1705. His legacy includes the establishment of several charitable foundations that supported education and poverty relief.

Moving into the 18th century, we find William Elliston, born in 1732, who was a celebrated actor and theatre manager. He was particularly renowned for his performances at the Drury Lane Theatre in London and is credited with introducing several innovations in stage lighting and set design.

In the 19th century, one of the most notable figures was Robert William Elliston, born in 1774. He was a highly acclaimed actor and theatre manager, following in the footsteps of his father, William Elliston. He managed several prominent theatres, including the Theatre Royal in Birmingham and the Olympic Theatre in London.

These examples illustrate the long and rich history of the surname Elliston, which has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including landowners, artists, merchants, and civic leaders, across different periods in English history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Elliston

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

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 Elliston was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 74.20% 992
Non-Hispanic Black Only 18.18% 243
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.94% 26
Hispanic Origin 5.24% 70

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 Elliston has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 74.20% 80.02% -7.55%
Black 18.18% 15.16% 18.12%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.94% 1.29% 40.25%
Hispanic 5.24% 2.67% 64.98%

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

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

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"Elliston last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 10, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/elliston-surname-popularity/.

"Elliston last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/elliston-surname-popularity/. Accessed 10 November, 2024

Elliston last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/elliston-surname-popularity/.

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