Elder Family History

Elder Surname Meaning

Scottish: distinguishing nickname from Middle English and Older Scots elder ‘parent; older senior person’ perhaps in some cases denoting the older of two bearers of the same personal name.

It may have been used also to denote an elder of a church, a senior and respected member of the congregation. Compare Senior.

English: in southeastern England this may be a variant of Helder.

Americanized form (translation into English) of German Elter which has the same meaning as 1 above.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Elter, Alder, Helder, Elmer, Ender, Older, Gelder, Eder, Melder, Alber

251K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
34K	Military Records
22K	Immigration Records
189K	Census and Voter Lists
730K	Member Trees

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Where is the Elder family from?

You can see how Elder families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Elder family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Elder families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 233 Elder families living in Ontario. This was about 38% of all the recorded Elder's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Elder families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Elder surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Elder

What did your Elder ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Elder. 52% of Elder men worked as a Farmer and 22% of Elder women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Elder were Laborer and Student.

View Census Data for Elder

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Farmer

52%

Labourer

Farmers son

Laborer

Stenographer

22%

Teacher

16%

Income

11%

Student

What Elder family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 189K census records available for the last name Elder. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Elder census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Elder

Passenger List

There are 22K immigration records available for the last name Elder. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Elder immigration records

Military Records

There are 34K military records available for the last name Elder. For the veterans among your Elder ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Elder military records

You've only scratched the surface of Elder family history

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What is the average Elder lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Elder life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Elder in 1940 was 61, and 75 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Elder family tree

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Elder Surname Meaning

Scottish: distinguishing nickname from Middle English and Older Scots elder ‘parent; older senior person’ perhaps in some cases denoting the older of two bearers of the same personal name.

It may have been used also to denote an elder of a church, a senior and respected member of the congregation. Compare Senior.

English: in southeastern England this may be a variant of Helder.

Americanized form (translation into English) of German Elter which has the same meaning as 1 above.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Where is the Elder family from?

What did your Elder ancestors do for a living?

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Farmer

52%

Labourer

Farmers son

Laborer

Stenographer

22%

Teacher

16%

Income

11%

Student

What Elder family records will you find?

What is the average Elder lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Elder life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Elder in 1940 was 61, and 75 in 2004.

Elder Family History

Elder Surname Meaning

1 million record(s) for Elder

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Elder family from?

What did your Elder ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Elder family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Elder family history

What is the average Elder lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Elder family tree

Search for another surname

Elder Surname Meaning

1 million record(s) for Elder

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Elder family from?

What did your Elder ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Elder family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Elder family history

What is the average Elder lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Elder family tree

Search for another surname