Find out how popular the last name Eller is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Eller.

Eller, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Eller surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Eller in America

Eller is the 3250th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Eller surname appeared 11,103 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Eller.

We can also compare 2010 data for Eller to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Eller

The surname Eller is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the German word "Eller," which refers to the alder tree. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near an alder grove or worked with alder wood.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eller can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already in use in parts of Germany during this time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Eller name appeared in various church registers and municipal records throughout Germany, particularly in regions such as Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. This implies that the name had become more widespread by this point.

In terms of notable individuals bearing the surname Eller, one of the earliest was Johannes Eller, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1556 to 1629. Another notable figure was Georg Philipp Eller, a German composer and organist who lived from 1684 to 1750.

As the name spread beyond Germany, it also took on variations in spelling and pronunciation. In the United States, for example, the name is sometimes spelled as Ellor or Ellers. One notable American with this surname was Ralph Waldo Emerson Eller, a 19th-century lawyer and politician from North Carolina.

Other notable individuals with the surname Eller include Ernst Eller, a German painter and sculptor who lived from 1890 to 1962, and Hans Eller, an Austrian architect and urban planner who lived from 1897 to 1975.

While the Eller name has its roots in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages, it has since spread to various parts of the world, likely due to migration and diaspora over the centuries. However, its etymological origins can still be traced back to the alder tree, a connection that has endured throughout the name's long history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Eller

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Eller.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Eller was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Eller has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Eller was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Eller, please contact us.

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