NameCensus.

UK surname

Ellmer

From an English placename meaning "elm clearing or meadow".

In the 1881 census there were 75 people recorded with the Ellmer surname, ranking it #22,893 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 130, ranked #26,152, down from #22,893 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Bottesford and Harwich St Nicholas. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include East Northamptonshire, Rotherham and Mid Sussex.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Ellmer is 148 in 2002. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 73.3%.

1881 census count

75

Ranked #22,893

Modern count

130

2016, ranked #26,152

Peak year

2002

148 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Ellmer had 75 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #22,893 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 130 in 2016, ranked #26,152.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 118 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Ellmer surname distribution map

The map shows where the Ellmer surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Ellmer surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Ellmer over time

The 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 37 #26,673
1861 historical 41 #28,839
1881 historical 75 #22,893
1891 historical 63 #28,881
1901 historical 98 #23,119
1911 historical 118 #20,649
1997 modern 144 #21,660
1998 modern 143 #22,317
1999 modern 146 #22,202
2000 modern 144 #22,357
2001 modern 146 #21,857
2002 modern 148 #22,087
2003 modern 146 #22,069
2004 modern 145 #22,289
2005 modern 136 #23,205
2006 modern 135 #23,486
2007 modern 136 #23,708
2008 modern 136 #24,004
2009 modern 140 #24,033
2010 modern 145 #24,031
2011 modern 144 #23,962
2012 modern 140 #24,376
2013 modern 137 #25,149
2014 modern 132 #25,971
2015 modern 129 #26,226
2016 modern 130 #26,152

Geography

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Where Ellmers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Bottesford, Harwich St Nicholas, Sheffield and Denford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to East Northamptonshire, Rotherham, Mid Sussex, North East Derbyshire and Lewes. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Bottesford Lincolnshire
3 Harwich St Nicholas Essex
4 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Denford Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 East Northamptonshire 003 East Northamptonshire
2 Rotherham 030 Rotherham
3 Mid Sussex 013 Mid Sussex
4 North East Derbyshire 001 North East Derbyshire
5 Lewes 010 Lewes

Forenames

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First names often paired with Ellmer

These lists show first names that appear often with the Ellmer surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Ellmer

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Ellmer, 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

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Ellmer surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Ellmer household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Ellmer is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Ellmer is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Ellmer falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Ellmer is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Ellmer, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Ellmer

The surname ELLMER is of German origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and the surrounding areas. The name is derived from the Old German word "ellhorn," which means "elder tree" or "elderberry bush."

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name ELLMER can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, dating back to the year 1286. This document references a certain "Heinrich Ellmer" from the town of Nuremberg.

In the 15th century, the name ELLMER appeared in various records and manuscripts across Germany. For instance, the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history book published in 1493, mentions a "Hans Ellmer" who was a prominent merchant and tradesman in the city of Nuremberg.

The name ELLMER has also been associated with certain place names and older spellings. For example, the village of Ellmersreuth in the Bavarian region was once known as "Ellmersreuthe," which likely derived from the surname itself, suggesting a connection to an individual or family with the name ELLMER.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname ELLMER:

1. Johann Ellmer (1524-1589), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in the region of Saxony.

2. Friedrich Ellmer (1768-1834), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in the city of Berlin.

3. Gottfried Ellmer (1818-1892), a German composer and music teacher, known for his contributions to church music and choral works.

4. Wilhelm Ellmer (1876-1944), a German physicist and inventor, best known for his work on the development of X-ray technology and its applications in medicine.

5. Hildegard Ellmer (1909-1989), a German artist and painter, renowned for her abstract expressionist works and her participation in the influential "Brücke" art movement.

The surname ELLMER has endured through the centuries, with its roots firmly planted in the cultural and historical landscape of Germany. While its exact origins may be lost to time, the name continues to carry the echoes of its ancestral ties to the elder tree and the rich tapestry of German heritage.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Ellmer families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Ellmer surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Buckinghamshire leads with 19 Ellmers recorded in 1881 and an index of 42.96x.

County Total Index
Buckinghamshire 19 42.96x
Yorkshire 17 2.35x
Sussex 10 8.11x
Essex 7 4.85x
Gloucestershire 7 4.88x
Middlesex 5 0.68x
Lancashire 3 0.35x
Surrey 3 0.84x
Warwickshire 2 1.08x
Kent 1 0.40x
Suffolk 1 1.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Clifton Reynes in Buckinghamshire leads with 8 Ellmers recorded in 1881 and an index of 16000.00x.

Place Total Index
Clifton Reynes 8 16000.00x
Cheltenham 7 63.23x
Harwich St Nicholas 7 625.00x
Quainton 6 2727.27x
Olney 5 819.67x
West Hoathly 5 1282.05x
Worth 5 555.56x
Clerkenwell London 4 23.16x
Marske In Guisbrough 4 310.08x
Wakefield 4 71.94x
Newington 3 11.10x
Oldham 3 10.71x
Birmingham 2 3.25x
Easington In Guisbrough 2 1250.00x
Thorne 2 222.22x
Wombwell 2 94.79x
Altofts 1 125.00x
Lewisham 1 7.51x
Lythe 1 344.83x
Poplar London 1 7.24x
Sotherton 1 2000.00x
Whitwood 1 97.09x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Ellmer surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Eliza 4
Elizabeth 3
Sarah 3
Ada 2
Ann 2
Clara 2
Emily 2
Jane 2
Agnes 1
Alice 1
Amelia 1
Anna 1
Catherine 1
Efey 1
Ellen 1
Frances 1
Hannah 1
Kate 1
Margarit 1
Mary 1
Selina 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Ellmer surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 5
Henry 4
Alfred 3
Charles 3
Harry 3
John 3
James 2
Robert 2
Walter 2
Andrew 1
Chas. 1
Edward 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Frederick 1
George 1
Herbert 1
Joe 1
Louis 1
Robt. 1
Samuel 1
Timothy 1
W. 1

FAQ

Ellmer surname: questions and answers

How common was the Ellmer surname in 1881?

In 1881, 75 people were recorded with the Ellmer surname. That placed it at #22,893 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Ellmer surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 130 in 2016. That gives Ellmer a modern rank of #26,152.

What does the Ellmer surname mean?

From an English placename meaning "elm clearing or meadow".

What does the Ellmer map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Ellmer bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

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.