2000
#64,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 288
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Elfman
A surname derived from the Old English words 'elf' meaning 'elf' and 'man' meaning 'person'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 316 Americans carry the last name Elfman. That puts it at #75,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,084,666 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elfman 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
316
1 in 1,084,666
Census rank
#75,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
276
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 276 bearers of the surname Elfman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 75363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elfman, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.1%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elfman
The surname ELFMAN is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Germanic words "alb" or "alf", meaning elf or supernatural creature, and "mann", meaning man or person. The name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was considered mischievous or impish in nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ELFMAN can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 12th century. In this record, a man named "Elfemannus" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
During the 13th century, the name ELFMAN appeared in various German chronicles and records, such as the Annales Colonienses Maximi, a chronicle from the city of Cologne. This suggests that the name was fairly well-established in certain regions of Germany by that time.
Notable individuals with the surname ELFMAN include Johannes Elfman, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 16th century, and Heinrich Elfman, a German composer and organist from the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the name ELFMAN can be found in records from the town of Nürnberg, where a family of that name was involved in the local guild system. One member, Hans Elfman (1712-1784), was a respected master craftsman and clockmaker.
Another notable figure was Carl Friedrich Elfman (1799-1865), a German philosopher and educator who wrote extensively on the importance of moral education and character development in children.
As the name spread beyond Germany, it can be found in various spellings and variations, such as Elpman, Elfmann, and Elphman, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of different regions.
Overall, the surname ELFMAN has a rich history that spans several centuries and reflects the diverse cultural and linguistic landscape of Germanic Europe. While its origins may have been rooted in folklore and descriptive nicknames, the name has since become a respected and established surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elfman
Among Census respondents with the surname Elfman, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.1%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Elfman 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 Elfman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 269
- Two or more races1.1% · 3
- Black or African American0.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elfman
Elfman 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
#69,392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 283
-5 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 4,820 places
2020
#75,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 276
-7 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 5,971 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #64,572 | 288 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #69,392 | 283 | 0.10 | -5 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 4,820 places |
| 2020 | #75,363 | 276 | 0.09 | -7 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 5,971 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 Elfman 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 | #69,392 | #75,363 | -8.6% |
| Count | 283 | 276 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.09 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elfman bearers went from 283 to 276 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 5,971 positions in the national ranking, going from #69,392 to #75,363.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Elfman
FAQ
Elfman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elfman?
Name Census estimates that about 316 living Americans carry the surname Elfman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,084,666 residents.
How common is Elfman?
Elfman ranks #75,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 276 people with the surname Elfman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (316), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Elfman.
Has Elfman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elfman went from 283 recorded bearers to 276. That is a decrease of 7 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #69,392 to #75,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Elfman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elfman, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.1%) and Black (0.7%). 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 Elfman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (269 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elfman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Two or More Races (1.1%), Black (0.7%). 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 Elfman (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 Elfman mean?
A surname derived from the Old English words 'elf' meaning 'elf' and 'man' meaning 'person'. 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 Elfman (0.09 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 are called Elfman?
See how many people have the last name Elfman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.