2000
#1,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,953
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.88
Uncommon Last name
Elkins
From the Old English "Ealhhun," referring to someone who lived near a temple or church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,852 Americans carry the last name Elkins. That puts it at #1,487 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Elkins 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Elkins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,765
Census rank
#1,487
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,416 bearers of the surname Elkins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1487th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Elkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Elkins
The surname Elkins has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "el," meaning "ell" (a unit of measurement), and "ing," a common surname suffix indicating "people" or "belonging to." Thus, the name may have initially referred to people who lived or worked near a specific ell-measured area or landmark.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Elkins can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where a person named Adam Elkin is listed. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Elkyns, Elkyng, and Elkyn, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that era. Some of these early spellings may have been influenced by the Old French word "elkin," meaning "little ell."
The Elkins surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Elkins (c. 1390-1456), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for Guildford during the reign of Henry VI.
In the 16th century, William Elkins (c. 1530-1590) was a prominent English clergyman and theologian who served as the Archdeacon of Norfolk.
During the American colonial era, Reverend Gerard Elkins (1640-1718) was a Puritan minister who immigrated from England to Massachusetts and played a significant role in the establishment of the town of Brookfield.
In the 19th century, Stephen Benton Elkins (1841-1923) was a prominent American lawyer, politician, and businessman who served as the Secretary of War under President Benjamin Harrison and later as a United States Senator from West Virginia.
Another notable figure was Ephraim Elkins (1872-1942), a celebrated American baseball player who played for several Major League teams, including the Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Browns, between 1898 and 1909.
While the Elkins surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, as a result of migration and settlement patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Elkins
Among Census respondents with the surname Elkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Elkins 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 Elkins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 20,383
- Two or more races4.2% · 984
- Black or African American4.0% · 938
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 773
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 184
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 154
Timeline
Historical Census data for Elkins
Elkins 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
#1,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,902
+949 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 8.44
Rank movement Down 70 places
2020
#1,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,416
-1,486 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 7.83
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,356 | 23,953 | 8.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,426 | 24,902 | 8.44 | +949 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 70 places |
| 2020 | #1,487 | 23,416 | 7.83 | -1,486 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 61 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 Elkins 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 | #1,426 | #1,487 | -4.3% |
| Count | 24,902 | 23,416 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 8.44 | 7.83 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Elkins bearers went from 24,902 to 23,416 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,426 to #1,487.
FAQ
Elkins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Elkins?
Name Census estimates that about 26,852 living Americans carry the surname Elkins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,765 residents.
How common is Elkins?
Elkins ranks #1,487 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,416 people with the surname Elkins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,852), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Elkins.
Has Elkins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Elkins went from 24,902 recorded bearers to 23,416. That is a decrease of 1,486 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,426 to #1,487.
What does the Census say about the background of Elkins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Elkins, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Black (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 Elkins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (20,383 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Elkins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Black (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 Elkins (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 Elkins mean?
From the Old English "Ealhhun," referring to someone who lived near a temple or church. 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 Elkins (7.83 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 surname Elkins?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.