elks
English: reduced form of Elkins.

Elkins English: patronymic from Elkin 1.

1.Elkin English: from a pet form of Elis (see Ellis).
2.Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): metronymic from the Yiddish female personal name Elke + the Slavic suffix -in.
3.Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): patronymic from the Yiddish male personal name Elke, a pet form of Elijah + the Slavic suffix -in. Source: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, IS