Elzinga is a Dutch surname from the provinces of Friesland and Groningen. Originally meaning from the "house of Elso/Elze", it was in 1811, when surnames needed to be adopted by those families still using patronyms, adopted as a metonymic occupational surname, referring to the els (awl), used by shoemakers.[1] Variant forms are Elsinga and Elzenga. People with this surname include: