UK surname
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany.
In the 1881 census there were 172 people recorded with the Elger surname, ranking it #14,163 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 68, ranked #33,826, down from #14,163 in 1881.
The strongest historical links point to St Pancras, Manchester and Haddenham. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include No data.
Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Elger is 215 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 60.5%.
1881 census count
172
Ranked #14,163
Modern count
68
2016, ranked #33,826
Peak year
1911
215 bearers
Map years
6
1851 to 1911
Key insights
Map
Back to topThe map shows where the Elger surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.
Distribution map
Elger surname density by area, 1881 census.
Timeline
Back to topThe table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.
| Year | Period | Count | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851 | historical | 140 | #13,593 |
| 1861 | historical | 179 | #13,127 |
| 1881 | historical | 172 | #14,163 |
| 1891 | historical | 204 | #14,702 |
| 1901 | historical | 191 | #15,579 |
| 1911 | historical | 215 | #14,290 |
| 1997 | modern | 62 | #31,412 |
| 1998 | modern | 69 | #31,076 |
| 1999 | modern | 63 | #31,798 |
| 2000 | modern | 63 | #31,829 |
| 2001 | modern | 63 | #31,693 |
| 2002 | modern | 68 | #31,626 |
| 2003 | modern | 65 | #31,979 |
| 2004 | modern | 64 | #32,286 |
| 2005 | modern | 67 | #32,196 |
| 2006 | modern | 66 | #32,629 |
| 2007 | modern | 73 | #32,287 |
| 2008 | modern | 72 | #32,656 |
| 2009 | modern | 72 | #33,021 |
| 2010 | modern | 70 | #33,480 |
| 2011 | modern | 65 | #33,842 |
| 2012 | modern | 62 | #34,155 |
| 2013 | modern | 69 | #33,808 |
| 2014 | modern | 68 | #33,898 |
| 2015 | modern | 68 | #33,854 |
| 2016 | modern | 68 | #33,826 |
Geography
Back to topHistorical parish links are strongest around St Pancras, Manchester, Haddenham, Peterborough St John the Baptist and Crowland. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.
The modern local-area list points to No data. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.
| Rank | Parish | Area |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Pancras | London (North Districts) |
| 2 | Manchester | Lancashire |
| 3 | Haddenham | Cambridgeshire |
| 4 | Peterborough St John the Baptist | Northamptonshire |
| 5 | Crowland | Northamptonshire |
| Rank | Area | District |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | No data | No data |
Forenames
Back to topThese lists show first names that appear often with the Elger surname in historical and recent records.
Recent female names
Recent male names
Modern profile
Back to topModern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Elger, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.
These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.
The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.
UK neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Nationally, the Elger surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as No data, within No data. This does not mean every Elger household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.
London neighbourhood type
Supergroup
No data
Group
No data
Within London, Elger is most associated with areas classed as No data, part of No data. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.
Broadband speed
The modern neighbourhood pattern for Elger is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of No data.
Area snapshot
This describes the area pattern most associated with Elger, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.
Origin
Back to topThe surname Elger is of German origin, first appearing in records from the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German personal name "Alger" or "Alcker", which itself comes from the Old German word "alg" meaning "elf" or "supernatural being".
Elger was initially found in the southern regions of what is now modern-day Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval German manuscripts and charters from this period.
In the 14th century, the surname began to spread more widely across German-speaking lands, with variations in spelling such as Elgar, Elker, and Elcker appearing in various records and documents. The name is also found in some early Swiss and Austrian records from this time.
One notable early bearer of the Elger name was Johannes Elger, a German cleric and author who lived in the late 15th century. He is best known for his work "Fasciculus Temporum", a popular chronicle of world history published in 1474.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Elger continued to be found across German-speaking regions, with some bearers of the name also appearing in neighboring areas of Eastern Europe, such as Poland and Bohemia.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the Elger surname was Johann Elger, a German composer and organist who was born in 1698 and died in 1770. He was known for his work as the court composer for the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg.
Another notable individual with the Elger name was Karl Elger, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1819 to 1888. He is best known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting scenes from the Black Forest region of Germany.
In the 19th century, the Elger surname also began to appear more frequently in records from other parts of Europe and even in some early American immigration records, as German families with this name sought new opportunities abroad.
One example is August Elger, a German-born American painter who lived from 1847 to 1902. He is particularly known for his landscape paintings of the Rocky Mountains and other Western American scenes.
Overall, the surname Elger has a long and rich history rooted in the German-speaking lands of Central Europe, with its origins dating back to the medieval period and possibly even earlier.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
1881 census detail
Back to topThese tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Elger surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.
Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 29 Elgers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.73x.
| County | Total | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Middlesex | 29 | 1.73x |
| Cambridgeshire | 27 | 25.41x |
| Huntingdonshire | 21 | 63.04x |
| Yorkshire | 16 | 0.96x |
| Lincolnshire | 14 | 5.22x |
| Norfolk | 12 | 4.65x |
| Hampshire | 10 | 2.91x |
| Oxfordshire | 8 | 7.72x |
| Cornwall | 6 | 3.16x |
| Lancashire | 5 | 0.25x |
| Leicestershire | 5 | 2.69x |
| Surrey | 5 | 0.61x |
| Durham | 3 | 0.60x |
| Kent | 3 | 0.52x |
| Northamptonshire | 3 | 1.90x |
| Essex | 2 | 0.60x |
| Sussex | 2 | 0.71x |
| Herefordshire | 1 | 1.45x |
Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Crowland in Lincolnshire leads with 11 Elgers recorded in 1881 and an index of 654.76x.
These are the female first names most often recorded with the Elger surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
| Name | Count |
|---|---|
| Emily | 7 |
| Elizabeth | 6 |
| Mary | 6 |
| Sarah | 6 |
| Eliza | 5 |
| Emma | 5 |
| Susan | 5 |
| Jane | 4 |
| Agnes | 3 |
| Ann | 3 |
| Louisa | 3 |
| Annie | 2 |
| Catherine | 2 |
| Charlotte | 2 |
| Edith | 2 |
| Ellener | 2 |
| Harriet | 2 |
| Miriam | 2 |
| Ada | 1 |
| Betsy | 1 |
| Caroline | 1 |
| Chrlotte | 1 |
| Eleanor | 1 |
| Elizth. | 1 |
| Florence | 1 |
| Frances | 1 |
| Francis | 1 |
| Gemma | 1 |
| Hannah | 1 |
| Isabella | 1 |
| Jannet | 1 |
| Johanna | 1 |
| Kate | 1 |
| Lillie | 1 |
| Lydia | 1 |
| Margaret | 1 |
| Maria | 1 |
| Marian | 1 |
| Martha | 1 |
| Pauline | 1 |
| Rebecca | 1 |
| Rose | 1 |
| Zillah | 1 |
These are the male first names most often recorded with the Elger surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.
Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Elger households.
FAQ
In 1881, 172 people were recorded with the Elger surname. That placed it at #14,163 in the surname rankings for that year.
The latest modern count shown here is 68 in 2016. That gives Elger a modern rank of #33,826.
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany.
The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Elger bearers relative to the surrounding population.
The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.