Explore the Family Name Elman

The meaning of Elman

1. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): variant of Hellmann (see Heller), reflecting varieties of Yiddish in which there is no h. 2. Americanized form of German Elmann: from a short form of the ancient Germanic personal name Adelman, composed of the elements adal ‘noble (family)’ + man ‘man’. 3. English: occupational name for a maker or seller of oils, from Middle English ele ‘oil’ + man ‘man’. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Meyer, Yaakov, Hyman, Mandel, Shmul, Yitzhak. Russian Boris, Igor, Leya, Misha, Semyon, Sofiya, Vladimir, Yefim, Yevgeny.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Elman has seen a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked at 25,147 and by 2010, the rank had fallen to 27,228, reflecting a change of -8.28%. The count of individuals with this surname also decreased from 925 in 2000 to 888 in 2010, marking a 4% reduction. Furthermore, the proportion per 100,000 people dropped by 11.76%, from 0.34 to 0.3.

20002010Change
Rank#25,147#27,228-8.28%
Count925888-4%
Proportion per 100k0.340.3-11.76%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Elman

The ethnicity associated with the surname Elman, as reflected in the Decennial U.S. Census data, has shown interesting changes over the decade. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander went up significantly from 1.51% in 2000 to 3.6% in 2010, a whopping increase of 138.41%. Those identifying as Hispanic also increased from 1.84% to 4.05%, a rise of 120.11%. In contrast, there was a decline in the number of individuals identifying as White, from 95.14% in 2000 to 90.77% in 2010. Interestingly, the census reported no individuals with the Elman surname identifying as having two or more races or as American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2010. A new development in 2010 was the emergence of individuals identifying as Black, which stood at 1.24%.

20002010Change
White95.14%90.77%-4.59%
Hispanic1.84%4.05%120.11%
Asian/Pacific Islander1.51%3.6%138.41%
Black0%1.24%0%
Two or More Races1.19%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%