# Elias (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/elias/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Greek |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 24,696 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,443 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 12,502 people |
| Change since 2000 | +27% (19,394 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ɪˈlaɪ̯.əs/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

The New Testament form of Elijah, a Hebrew prophet, from Ancient Greek Ἠλίας (Ēlías).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Elias in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 42% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 4.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 50% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
| Two or more races | 1.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Elias in Brazil, the United States, Switzerland, Cuba and the United Kingdom.

## People named Elias

- Zé Elias, Brazilian footballer
- Eliane Elias, Brazilian jazz pianist, singer, arranger and songwriter (born 1960)
- Jean Elias, Brazilian association football player
- Buddy Elias, actor (1925-2015)
- Rosalind Elias, American mezzo-soprano
- Jonathan Elias, American record producer
- Nacif Elias, Brazilian judoka (1988-)
- Roenis Elías, baseball player
- Matthew Elias, British athletics competitor (born 1979)
- Robert Downey Sr., American filmmaker and actor (1936–2021)
- Larissa Manoela, Brazilian actress and singer
- James Stacy, American actor (1936-2016)

## Similar surnames

Ellis, Ells, Elijah, Ellzey, Elsey, Eells, Elzey, Elsea, Elzy, Else.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.