Elsner Family History

German:: northern topographic name for someone who lived near alders from Low German else ‘alder’. It may also be a habitational name for someone from a place called with this word.

In Silesia it has the same meaning but is of ultimate Slavic origin. This surname is also found elsewhere in central Europe e.g. in Czechia and Slovenia where it may (also) be a translation into German of corresponding Slavic surnames.

Metronymic from the personal name Else a short form of Elisabeth (see Elizabeth).