Elias
A surname from the biblical personal name Elias, meaning “the Lord is my God.”
The #1,443 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,502 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Elias comes from the biblical name Elias, the Greek and Latin form of Hebrew Elijah (Hebrew Eliyahu). The name means “my God is Yahweh” or “the Lord is my God.” In medieval England and Normandy it was used as a baptismal name, and the surname developed from that given name.
History
The medieval dictionaries note Elias as a common Anglo-Norman baptismal name, and from it came surnames such as Ellis, Ellison, and in some cases related forms like Eliot and Elkin. The surname Elias itself is less common than those derivatives, but it appears in English records from the Middle Ages onward. It has also remained in use independently as a family name in parts of Europe and the English-speaking world.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lower notes that Elias was a very common Anglo-Norman baptismal name, which helps explain why so many English surnames grew from it.
From the historical record
“and -SSlgar. ELIAS. Elias or Ilelyas was a very common A-Norm. baptismal name, and became the parent of the surnames Ellis, Ellison, and perhaps of Elliot, Elliotson, Els or Ells, Elson, Elley, Ellet, and Lelliot. ELIOT. See Elliott. ELKIN. ELIvIXS. ELKINSON. The derivation in Eng. Surn. i. 166, is probably…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom