2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Goettemoeller
A surname derived from a Germanic occupational name meaning "maker of metal idols."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 190 Americans carry the last name Goettemoeller. That puts it at #112,515 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,803,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Goettemoeller 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
190
1 in 1,803,970
Census rank
#112,515
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
166
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 166 bearers of the surname Goettemoeller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 112515th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Goettemoeller, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Goettemoeller
The surname GOETTEMOELLER is of German origin, originating in the regions of southern Germany and Austria. The name likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. It is derived from the German words "Gott" meaning God and "Müller" meaning miller, suggesting the name may have been initially given to someone who worked as a miller at a religious institution or mill owned by the church.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Bavaria, dating back to the early 16th century. Here, a certain Ulrich Goettemoeller is mentioned as a resident and landowner in the year 1523. The spelling of the name has varied slightly over time, with variations such as Gottmüller, Gottmiller, and Gottemöller appearing in different regions.
In the 17th century, the name is found in the records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a Johann Goettemoeller is listed as a master baker in 1652. This suggests that the family may have been involved in various trades related to grain and flour production over the centuries.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it can be found in various historical documents and records. For instance, in the 18th century, a Christoph Goettemoeller is mentioned as a respected merchant and landowner in the city of Nuremberg.
One notable figure bearing this surname was the German philosopher and theologian Johann Gottfried Goettemoeller (1715-1792), who was a prominent figure in the Enlightenment movement and served as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
Another individual of note was the 19th-century German painter and artist, Wilhelm Goettemoeller (1824-1901), whose works are displayed in several museums across Germany and Austria.
In the 20th century, the name gained recognition through the work of the German architect and urban planner, Hans Goettemoeller (1890-1963), who was responsible for the design and reconstruction of several cities in post-World War II Germany.
While the name GOETTEMOELLER is relatively uncommon, it has left its mark on various aspects of German history and culture, spanning several centuries and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Goettemoeller
Among Census respondents with the surname Goettemoeller, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Goettemoeller 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 Goettemoeller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 166
Timeline
Historical Census data for Goettemoeller
Goettemoeller 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
#119,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
+3 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,342 places
2020
#112,515
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 166
+21 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 6,993 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #119,508 | 145 | 0.05 | +3 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 5,342 places |
| 2020 | #112,515 | 166 | 0.06 | +21 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 6,993 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 Goettemoeller 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 | #119,508 | #112,515 | 5.9% |
| Count | 145 | 166 | 14.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Goettemoeller bearers went from 145 to 166 (+14.5% change). The surname moved up 6,993 positions in the national ranking, going from #119,508 to #112,515.
FAQ
Goettemoeller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Goettemoeller?
Name Census estimates that about 190 living Americans carry the surname Goettemoeller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,803,970 residents.
How common is Goettemoeller?
Goettemoeller ranks #112,515 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 166 people with the surname Goettemoeller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Goettemoeller.
Has Goettemoeller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Goettemoeller went from 145 recorded bearers to 166. That is an increase of 21 (+14.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #119,508 to #112,515.
What does the Census say about the background of Goettemoeller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Goettemoeller, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Goettemoeller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (166 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Goettemoeller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Goettemoeller (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 Goettemoeller mean?
A surname derived from a Germanic occupational name meaning "maker of metal idols." 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 Goettemoeller (0.06 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 Goettemoeller?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.