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

Koeller, 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 Koeller surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Koeller in America

Koeller is the 12250th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Koeller surname appeared 2,539 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Koeller.

We can also compare 2010 data for Koeller 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 Koeller

The surname Koeller is of German origin, derived from the occupational name for a charcoal burner. It is believed to have originated in the regions of southern Germany during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

The name is derived from the Middle High German word "kol," meaning charcoal, and the suffix "-er," which denotes an occupation or profession. It was a common practice at the time to adopt surnames based on one's trade or occupation, and charcoal burning was a significant industry in the heavily forested areas of Germany.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Koeller can be found in the tax records of the town of Augsburg, Bavaria, dated to the year 1398, where a certain "Hans Koeller" is mentioned as a resident.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Koler," "Kohler," and "Koller," reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. For example, in the records of the city of Nuremberg from 1462, there is a mention of a "Peter Koller," likely a charcoal burner or merchant.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Koeller surname spread across different regions of Germany and neighboring countries, as families migrated and settled in new areas. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Koeller (1564-1631), a German Lutheran theologian and author, and Matthias Koeller (1653-1737), a German composer and organist.

As the name traveled and became more widespread, it also took on variations in spelling, such as "Köller," "Keller," and "Koehler." One notable figure with the latter spelling was Johann David Köhler (1684-1755), a German historian and numismatist.

In the 19th century, the Koeller surname made its way to North America, with many German immigrants settling in various parts of the United States and Canada. One prominent individual from this era was Gustav Koeller (1828-1908), a German-American architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in Chicago.

Throughout its history, the surname Koeller has been associated with various professions and fields, from academia and theology to architecture and engineering, reflecting the diverse paths taken by families bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Koeller

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

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 Koeller 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 Koeller 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 Koeller was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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