Last Names

Surnames / E

El

How common is the last name El?

About this name

We do not yet have a written origin for El, so here is what the census records show.

Surname origins are rarely settled, and we would rather say nothing than guess. The sources below are the best places to look, and our guide to how surnames began explains the usual types.

Similar spellings

Names nearby in the census

#17,596

El was the 17,596th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 1,597 people, about 0.5 in every 100,000.

Who carries it

  • White (non-Hispanic)13.2%
  • Hispanic or Latino3.1%
  • Black (non-Hispanic)60.9%
  • Asian or Pacific Islander16.5%
  • Two or more races5.1%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native1.2%

Check the sources

For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.