2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Driller
A surname derived from the occupational trade of drilling holes or operating a drill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Driller. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Driller surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Driller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Driller, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Driller
The surname DRILLER is of German origin, with its roots traceable back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "drillen," which means "to turn" or "to twist," and was initially associated with individuals who operated drilling devices or were involved in the crafting of drilled or twisted objects.
The earliest recorded instances of the DRILLER surname can be found in various German municipal records and tax rolls from the late 14th and early 15th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a "Hans Driller" in the town of Nuremberg in 1426, suggesting the name's presence in the region during that time period.
Throughout the centuries, the DRILLER name has been linked to various professions related to drilling, such as well-digging, mining, and metalworking. In the 16th century, a certain Johann DRILLER from Saxony gained recognition as a skilled blacksmith and metalworker, known for his intricate and finely drilled works.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it also spawned variations in spelling, including "Drillert," "Drillar," and "Drillinger." These variations can be found in historical records from various parts of Germany, as well as neighboring areas where German settlers established communities.
One notable individual bearing the DRILLER surname was Friedrich DRILLER (1733-1804), a prominent German mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and authored several influential works on the subject.
Another person of note was Konrad DRILLER (1801-1879), a German-born American industrialist and inventor. He is credited with developing and patenting several important advancements in drilling technology, which played a crucial role in the growth of the oil and gas industry in the United States.
In the realm of literature, the DRILLER name is associated with Karl DRILLER (1855-1919), a German writer and poet known for his lyrical works celebrating nature and the Romantic tradition.
The DRILLER surname also found its way into the annals of military history with General Hans DRILLER (1872-1945), a German Army officer who played a significant role in World War I and later served as a military adviser to the Turkish Army during the early years of the Turkish Republic.
Among the more recent notable figures with the DRILLER surname is Konrad DRILLER (1920-2008), a German-American architect and urban planner who made significant contributions to the field of sustainable urban design and was widely recognized for his innovative and environmentally conscious approach to urban planning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Driller
Among Census respondents with the surname Driller, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Driller bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Driller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Driller
Driller appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+15 bearers (+14.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,854 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.4%) | Up 5,854 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 6,338 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Driller surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #140,157 | #146,495 | -4.5% |
| Count | 119 | 114 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Driller bearers went from 119 to 114 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 6,338 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #146,495.
FAQ
Driller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Driller?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Driller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Driller?
Driller ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Driller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Driller.
Has Driller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Driller went from 119 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Driller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Driller, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Driller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Driller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (8.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Driller (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Driller mean?
A surname derived from the occupational trade of drilling holes or operating a drill. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Driller (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Driller?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.