2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Obermuller
A German surname derived from a geographic name referring to someone from a place called Obermuller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Obermuller. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Obermuller 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Obermuller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Obermuller, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.8%. The next largest groups are White (21.6%) and Hispanic (12.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Obermuller
The surname OBERMULLER is of German origin, originating in the medieval period around the 12th century. It is a combination of the German words "ober" meaning "upper" and "muller" meaning "miller". The name likely referred to someone who operated an upper mill or a mill located higher up a stream or river.
The earliest recorded instances of the name OBERMULLER can be traced back to the regions of Bavaria and Saxony in Germany. It is believed that the name may have initially developed as a descriptive occupational surname for those working as millers or operating mills in these areas.
In the 14th century, there are records of an individual named Hans OBERMULLER who was a miller in the town of Augsburg, Bavaria. This is one of the earliest documented mentions of the surname in historical records.
The name OBERMULLER also appears in various medieval manuscripts and documents from the 15th and 16th centuries, such as tax records, land deeds, and guild registries. This suggests that the name was well-established and relatively widespread in certain regions of Germany during this time period.
Notable individuals with the surname OBERMULLER throughout history include Johann Georg OBERMULLER (1684-1756), a German botanist and physician who authored several works on the flora of the region around Nuremberg. Another prominent figure was Christian Wilhelm OBERMULLER (1729-1784), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor of law at the University of Leipzig.
In the 19th century, Carl Friedrich OBERMULLER (1807-1863) was a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and architectural scenes. Additionally, Johann Georg OBERMULLER (1808-1891) was a German philologist and classical scholar who taught at various universities in Germany and Austria.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname OBERMULLER in modern times was Kurt OBERMULLER (1916-1993), a German chess player and author who was a World Chess Federation International Master and wrote extensively on chess theory and strategy.
While the surname OBERMULLER is of German origin, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the historic regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it originated as an occupational name for those working as millers or operating mills near streams and rivers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Obermuller
Among Census respondents with the surname Obermuller, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.8%. The next largest groups are White (21.6%) and Hispanic (12.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Obermuller 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 Obermuller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American57.8% · 67
- White21.6% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino12.1% · 14
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Obermuller
Obermuller appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+6 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,367 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.5%) | Up 4,367 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 Obermuller 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 | #149,395 | #145,028 | 2.9% |
| Count | 110 | 116 | 5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Obermuller bearers went from 110 to 116 (+5.5% change). The surname moved up 4,367 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #145,028.
FAQ
Obermuller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Obermuller?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Obermuller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Obermuller?
Obermuller ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Obermuller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Obermuller.
Has Obermuller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Obermuller went from 110 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 6 (+5.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Obermuller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Obermuller, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.8%. The next largest groups are White (21.6%) and Hispanic (12.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Obermuller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.8% (67 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Obermuller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (57.8%), White (21.6%), Hispanic (12.1%). 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 Obermuller (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 Obermuller mean?
A German surname derived from a geographic name referring to someone from a place called Obermuller. 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 Obermuller (0.04 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 common is the surname Obermuller?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Obermuller on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.