English
The surname 'Elder' originates from England. It is derived from the distinguishing nickname bestowed on the elder (from the Old English word 'ealdra', a compound of 'eald' meaning 'old') of two bearers of the same given name. At first sight it might be thought to be a topographic name from the tree (from the Old English word 'ellern', with later dissimulation), but this origin does not seem to be supported by any evidence from early forms with prepositions. Compiled information from Historical and Private archive's has confirmed that the surname 'Elder' and or it's variant's, dates as far back as the Fourteenth century were a 'Ricardus ye Elder', from the county of Yorkshire, England, is recorded on Poll Tax records in 1379. The exact period of settlement in North America has not been definitely determined but Information extracted from Public and Civil registry archive's confirm that one of the first settlers was a certain 'Daniel Elder', aged 21, a bookkeeper by trade, from Scotland. He emigrated to North America in 1774, sailing from the Port of London aboard the ship named the 'Assistance' on the 15th of January 1774, arriving in Barbados on the 23rd of the same, where he served as an indentured servant. Today, 'Elder' is the '1002nd' most common surname in North America.