2000
#2,533
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,094
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.85
Uncommon Last name
Moeller
Derived from the Middle High German word "mülnære" or "müller," denoting a person who owned or worked in a mill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,633 Americans carry the last name Moeller. That puts it at #2,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,925 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Moeller 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 Moeller with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,925
Census rank
#2,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,633 bearers of the surname Moeller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Moeller, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Moeller
The surname Moeller has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "Moller" or "Muller," which means "miller." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were millers by trade or were associated with mills in some way.
The name Moeller likely emerged in the regions of northern Germany, particularly in areas such as Lower Saxony, where the milling industry was prevalent. In medieval times, mills played a crucial role in the processing of grains, and millers held a respected position within the community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Moeller can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 14th century. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region during that time period.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Heinrich Moeller (c. 1530-1589) was a German composer and musician. He served as a court musician in Dresden and is credited with contributing to the development of early Baroque music.
Another prominent individual with the surname Moeller was Johann Philipp Moeller (1670-1748), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher. He was a professor at the University of Rostock and published several influential works on theology and philosophy.
In the 19th century, Georg Moeller (1784-1852) was a German painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes. He studied at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts and his works were exhibited in various galleries across Europe.
The name Moeller has also been associated with places and settlements. For instance, the town of Mölln in northern Germany, formerly known as Möllenbüttel, was likely named after a miller or someone associated with a mill in the area.
Throughout history, various spellings of the name have existed, such as Möller, Muller, and Müller, reflecting regional variations and the evolution of the German language over time.
While the name Moeller has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. It is now found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and other regions with significant German heritage or influence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Moeller
Among Census respondents with the surname Moeller, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Moeller 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 Moeller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 12,698
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 417
- Two or more races2.6% · 357
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 95
- Black or African American0.3% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Moeller
Moeller 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
#2,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,915
+821 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 4.72
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#2,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,633
-282 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 4.56
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,533 | 13,094 | 4.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,588 | 13,915 | 4.72 | +821 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #2,590 | 13,633 | 4.56 | -282 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 2 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 Moeller 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 | #2,588 | #2,590 | -0.1% |
| Count | 13,915 | 13,633 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.72 | 4.56 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Moeller bearers went from 13,915 to 13,633 (-2.0% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,588 to #2,590.
FAQ
Moeller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Moeller?
Name Census estimates that about 15,633 living Americans carry the surname Moeller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,925 residents.
How common is Moeller?
Moeller ranks #2,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,633 people with the surname Moeller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,633), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Moeller.
Has Moeller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Moeller went from 13,915 recorded bearers to 13,633. That is a decrease of 282 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,588 to #2,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Moeller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Moeller, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) 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 Moeller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (12,698 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Moeller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.1%), 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 Moeller (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 Moeller mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "mülnære" or "müller," denoting a person who owned or worked in a mill. 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 Moeller (4.56 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 Moeller?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.