Explore the Family Name Elkin

The meaning of Elkin

1. English (West Midlands): from the personal name Elikin, usually a pet form of Elias but also perhaps of the female name Ele (see Ellen). 2. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): metronymic from the Yiddish female personal name Elke, with the addition of the Slavic possessive suffix -in. 3. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): patronymic from the Yiddish male personal name Elke, a pet form of Elijah, with the addition of the Slavic possessive suffix -in. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Hyman, Yakov, Aron, Hymen, Itta, Meyer, Pinchas, Rakhil, Rimma.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Elkin in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Elkin has seen a positive trend in the United States between 2000 and 2010. In this period, the rank improved from 9506 to 9125, marking a 4.01% upswing. The count of individuals with the surname Elkin also increased by 14.06%, moving from 3137 in 2000 to 3578 in 2010. The proportion per 100k people saw a modest boost of 4.31%.

20002010Change
Rank#9,506#9,1254.01%
Count3,1373,57814.06%
Proportion per 100k1.161.214.31%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Elkin

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Elkin also underwent changes from 2000 to 2010 as per the Decennial U.S. Census. Individuals identifying as White constituted the majority, although their percentage decreased slightly from 95.47% to 92.09%. A notable increase was observed in the Hispanic and Black communities, rising from 2.20% to 4.36% and 0.61% to 1.26%, respectively. There was also an emergence of Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities tied to the surname. Although the proportions for these groups were small, they were not present in the 2000 data. Those identifying with two or more races also saw a rise from 1.15% in 2000 to 1.29% in 2010.

20002010Change
White95.47%92.09%-3.54%
Hispanic2.2%4.36%98.18%
Two or More Races1.15%1.29%12.17%
Black0.61%1.26%106.56%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0.78%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0.22%0%

Elkin ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Elkin is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 35.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (26.9%) and French & German (13.8%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Ashkenazi Jewish35.6%
British & Irish26.9%
French & German13.8%
Other23.7%
Elkin

Possible origins of the surname Elkin

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Elkin have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom51.40%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom51.40%
Greater London, United Kingdom51.40%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom51.40%
Merseyside, United Kingdom51.40%

What Elkin haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Elkin is R-Z278, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z278 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include J-CTS5368 and R-P312, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Gaspar, Peacock, Stokes, Burgos, Strauss, Berger, Colon, Falk, Carbajal, Stern.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Elkin surname are: H1, J1c, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

elkinPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Elkin have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Elkin

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Elkin" Surname 48.6%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Elkin

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Elkin" Surname 40.6%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Elkin

Vitamin Use

Takes vitamins on a regular basis.

"Elkin" Surname 47.4%

23andMe Users 45.5%

Wellness

Elkin

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Elkin" Surname 16.3%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Elkin?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Elkin are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Ashkenazi Jewish 57.0%

23andMe Users 57.2%