2000
#8,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,429
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Teller
One who counts money or works as a bank teller, derived from the German word "Zählmeister."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,090 Americans carry the last name Teller. That puts it at #8,824 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,803 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Teller 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 Teller with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,803
Census rank
#8,824
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,567 bearers of the surname Teller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8824th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Teller, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (13.1%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Teller
The surname Teller is of German origin and can be traced back to the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Teller," which means "plate" or "dish." The name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who made or sold plates and dishes.
In its earliest forms, the name appeared as "Tellere" or "Tellir" in various German regions during the 13th and 14th centuries. It is believed to have spread across central and northern Europe as people migrated and settled in new areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Teller can be found in the town records of Nürnberg, Germany, where a certain Hans Teller was mentioned in 1428. Another early reference is found in the church records of Augsburg, where a Johann Teller was baptized in 1491.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings, including "Teller," "Teler," and "Tellar." During this period, the surname was also found in the Netherlands, where it was likely introduced by German immigrants or traders.
Prominent individuals with the surname Teller include:
1. Wilhelm Abraham Teller (1734-1804), a German mathematician and philosopher.
2. Andreas Teller (1792-1868), a German painter known for his landscapes and religious works.
3. Edward Teller (1908-2003), a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist who played a crucial role in the development of the hydrogen bomb.
4. Janne Teller (born 1964), a Danish writer and novelist, best known for her novel "Nothing."
5. Bry'nt Teller (born 1978), an American professional wrestler and actor.
As the surname spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world through migration and immigration, it underwent various spelling variations and adaptations based on local languages and traditions. However, its origins can be traced back to the German word "Teller" and its occupational roots in the plate and dish-making trade.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Teller
Among Census respondents with the surname Teller, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (13.1%) and Hispanic (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Teller 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 Teller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.1% · 2,680
- American Indian and Alaska Native13.1% · 466
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 187
- Two or more races3.2% · 113
- Black or African American2.4% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Teller
Teller 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
#8,623
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,814
+385 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 175 places
2020
#8,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,567
-247 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,798 | 3,429 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,623 | 3,814 | 1.29 | +385 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 175 places |
| 2020 | #8,824 | 3,567 | 1.19 | -247 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 201 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 Teller 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 | #8,623 | #8,824 | -2.3% |
| Count | 3,814 | 3,567 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.19 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Teller bearers went from 3,814 to 3,567 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 201 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,623 to #8,824.
FAQ
Teller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Teller?
Name Census estimates that about 4,090 living Americans carry the surname Teller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,803 residents.
How common is Teller?
Teller ranks #8,824 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,567 people with the surname Teller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,090), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Teller.
Has Teller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Teller went from 3,814 recorded bearers to 3,567. That is a decrease of 247 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,623 to #8,824.
What does the Census say about the background of Teller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Teller, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.1%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (13.1%) and Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Teller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.1% (2,680 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Teller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (13.1%), Hispanic (5.2%). 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 Teller (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 Teller mean?
One who counts money or works as a bank teller, derived from the German word "Zählmeister." 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 Teller (1.19 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 Americans have the surname Teller?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.