Explore the Family Name Elfers
The meaning of Elfers
German and Dutch: genitivized patronymic from Elfert, from an ancient Germanic personal name which is a compound of alf, elf ‘ghost, sprite’ and a second component such as hard ‘hardy, strong’, heri ‘army’, wart ‘guard’ or from Elferik from alf/elf + rīhhi ‘powerful’. Some characteristic forenames: German Wilhelm, Gerhardt, Kurt, Otto.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Elfers in the United States?
The surname Elfers, based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, has witnessed a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. It was ranked as the 38,198th most popular surname in 2000 and slipped to the 39,164th position by 2010, marking a drop of 2.53%. However, the number of people with the Elfers surname did marginally increase during this period from 545 to 562, constituting a rise of 3.12%. The proportion of individuals named Elfers per 100k population decreased by 5.0%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #38,198 | #39,164 | -2.53% |
| Count | 545 | 562 | 3.12% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.2 | 0.19 | -5% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Elfers
A review of ethnicity changes between 2000 and 2010 for the surname Elfers, according to the Decennial U.S. Census, shows that the majority of bearers identify as White, although this percentage has slightly decreased from 97.80% to 95.02%. In 2010, there was a recorded presence of Asian/Pacific Islander for the first time, accounting for 1.42%. Interestingly, the percentage of individuals identifying as Hispanic more than doubled from 1.28% in 2000 to 2.85% in 2010. The data did not register any individuals with the Elfers surname identifying as Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native, or having two or more races in both census years.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 97.8% | 95.02% | -2.84% |
| Hispanic | 1.28% | 2.85% | 122.66% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.42% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |