2000
#5,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,331
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Geller
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Yiddish word "gel" meaning "yellow," referring to a dealer of yellow wares or gold.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,019 Americans carry the last name Geller. That puts it at #5,484 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,832 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geller 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Geller with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.0K
1 in 48,832
Census rank
#5,484
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,121 bearers of the surname Geller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5484th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geller, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geller
The surname Geller is derived from the German occupational name "Geller" or "Gellner," which means "bell maker" or "bell founder." This name originated in the German-speaking regions of Central and Eastern Europe during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Geller can be traced back to the 13th century in various German-language records and chronicles. One notable example is the mention of a "Heinrich der Geller" in the city of Nuremberg in 1289. This suggests that the profession of bell making was established and recognized at that time.
As the name Geller spread across German-speaking lands, it often took on local variations in spelling, such as Gellner, Gellert, or Gellert. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the names of towns or regions where bell makers lived and worked.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Geller surname appears in various historical records, including tax rolls and guild documents. For instance, a bell maker named Hans Geller is mentioned in a guild register in the city of Augsburg, dating back to 1427.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Geller was Johann Geller, a renowned bell founder born in Nuremberg in 1486. He crafted numerous bells for churches and municipalities throughout Germany and neighboring regions.
Another notable figure was Georg Geller (1590-1645), a German Protestant theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg. His writings and teachings had a significant impact on the intellectual discourse of his time.
In the 18th century, the Geller surname gained prominence in the field of metalworking and bell casting. Johann Christoph Geller (1707-1786), a master bell founder from Saxony, was renowned for his exceptional craftsmanship and contributed to the development of bell-making techniques.
As the surname spread across Europe and beyond, it also became associated with other professions and areas of expertise. For instance, Uri Geller (born 1946) is an Israeli-British illusionist and self-proclaimed psychic, known for his alleged ability to bend spoons and other metal objects through "mind power."
Throughout its history, the surname Geller has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, scholars, and public figures, all tracing their roots back to the skilled bell makers of medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geller
Among Census respondents with the surname Geller, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Geller 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 Geller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 5,634
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 214
- Two or more races2.6% · 162
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 59
- Black or African American0.6% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geller
Geller 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
#5,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,810
+479 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 2.31
Rank movement Down 53 places
2020
#5,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,121
-689 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Down 345 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,086 | 6,331 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,139 | 6,810 | 2.31 | +479 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 53 places |
| 2020 | #5,484 | 6,121 | 2.05 | -689 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 345 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 Geller 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 | #5,139 | #5,484 | -6.7% |
| Count | 6,810 | 6,121 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.31 | 2.05 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geller bearers went from 6,810 to 6,121 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 345 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,139 to #5,484.
FAQ
Geller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geller?
Name Census estimates that about 7,019 living Americans carry the surname Geller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,832 residents.
How common is Geller?
Geller ranks #5,484 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,121 people with the surname Geller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,019), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Geller.
Has Geller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geller went from 6,810 recorded bearers to 6,121. That is a decrease of 689 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,139 to #5,484.
What does the Census say about the background of Geller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geller, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Geller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (5,634 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Geller (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 Geller mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Yiddish word "gel" meaning "yellow," referring to a dealer of yellow wares or gold. 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 Geller (2.05 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 last name Geller?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Geller at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.