Explore the Family Name Elm
The meaning of Elm
1. English (Lincolnshire): topographic name from Middle English elm(e) ‘elm-tree’, or a habitational name from a place so named, such as Elm (Cambridgeshire). Alternatively, a variant of Helm, with loss of initial H-. 2. German: habitational name from any of various places so named. 3. Swedish: ornamental name from älm(e) ‘elm grove’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Elm in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Elm has seen a minor decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Elm was ranked the 24,368th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had fallen slightly to the 24,554th position, indicating a change of -0.76%. However, the actual count of people carrying the surname increased from 963 in 2000 to 1,018 in 2010, an increase of 5.71%. This implies that despite its slight drop in rank, more people adopted the Elm surname over this decade. The proportion of the Elm surname per 100k people also dropped slightly from 0.36 to 0.35, marking a -2.78% change.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #24,368 | #24,554 | -0.76% |
| Count | 963 | 1,018 | 5.71% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.36 | 0.35 | -2.78% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Elm
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals shifts in the ethnic identities associated with the Elm surname between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Black saw increases of 26.15% and 4.71% respectively, while there was a significant rise of 122.03% in those identifying with two or more races. Conversely, the proportions of White and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities saw decreases of -2.69% and -7.11% respectively. Meanwhile, the Hispanic identity experienced a minor decrease of -2.55% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 76.12% | 74.07% | -2.69% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 11.53% | 10.71% | -7.11% |
| Black | 4.88% | 5.11% | 4.71% |
| Two or More Races | 1.77% | 3.93% | 122.03% |
| Hispanic | 3.53% | 3.44% | -2.55% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.18% | 2.75% | 26.15% |