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

Piller, 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 Piller surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Piller in America

Piller is the 21057th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Piller surname appeared 1,248 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Piller.

We can also compare 2010 data for Piller 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 Piller

The surname Piller has its origins in Germany, emerging around the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "pille," meaning "ball" or "sphere," which could have referred to a maker or seller of balls, or perhaps an occupation related to a rounded shape or object.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Piller can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Germany, from the year 1292, where a person named Heinrich Piller was mentioned. The name also appears in various German church records and tax rolls throughout the late medieval and early modern periods.

In the 16th century, a notable individual bearing the name Piller was Hans Piller, a German artist and woodcarver who was active in the city of Nuremberg between 1520 and 1540. His intricate woodcarvings and religious sculptures can still be found in several churches and museums across Germany.

Another significant figure with the surname Piller was Johann Piller (1647-1722), a German botanist and physician from Saxony. He made important contributions to the study of plant life and published several books on the subject, including "Hortus Gednensis" in 1676.

In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the name was Karl Piller (1835-1888), an Austrian-born architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Vienna, including the Votive Church and the Heinrichshof Palace.

Moving to the 20th century, one can find references to Max Piller (1908-1990), a Swiss-born industrial designer and architect. He is particularly renowned for his innovative designs of household appliances and products for companies like Braun and Leitz.

Another individual worth mentioning is Gertrud Piller (1910-1988), a German author and translator known for her works on philosophy and literature. She contributed to the translation and dissemination of works by prominent philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus.

While the surname Piller is more commonly found in German-speaking regions, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and the world through migration and intermarriage over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Piller

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

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

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

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