2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Troeller
A German surname derived from the Middle High German term "trülle" meaning basket-weaver or basket-maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Troeller. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Troeller 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Troeller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Troeller, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Troeller
The surname TROELLER has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "tröler," which referred to a wandering minstrel or singer. These minstrels, known as "Trölers" or "Tröllerers," would travel from town to town, entertaining audiences with their songs and music.
The earliest recorded instances of the TROELLER surname can be found in various German regions, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Hans Troeller, a musician and composer from Nuremberg, who lived in the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the TROELLER surname appears in several historical documents, such as church records and town registers. Notable examples include Johann Troeller, a renowned clockmaker from Augsburg, who lived from 1523 to 1590, and Matthias Troeller, a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony, born in 1567.
As the centuries progressed, the TROELLER name spread across different parts of Germany and beyond. In the 18th century, a prominent figure bearing this surname was Johann Gottfried Tröller, a German composer and organist who lived from 1683 to 1738.
The TROELLER surname also found its way into other German-speaking regions, such as Austria and Switzerland. One notable Austrian with this name was Franz Tröller, a 19th-century Austrian painter and lithographer, born in 1824.
Another significant figure in the history of the TROELLER surname was Gustav Tröller, a German archaeologist and museum curator who lived from 1827 to 1900. He made significant contributions to the study of ancient Roman artifacts and was highly regarded in his field.
While the TROELLER surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, its roots can be traced back to the minstrels and singers of medieval Germany, who carried this distinctive name as they traveled and entertained across the lands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Troeller
Among Census respondents with the surname Troeller, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Troeller 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 Troeller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Troeller
Troeller 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-28 bearers (-20.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 32,914 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-5 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-20.4%) | Down 32,914 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 3,138 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 Troeller 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 | #150,452 | #153,590 | -2.1% |
| Count | 109 | 104 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Troeller bearers went from 109 to 104 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 3,138 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #153,590.
FAQ
Troeller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Troeller?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Troeller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Troeller?
Troeller ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Troeller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Troeller.
Has Troeller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Troeller went from 109 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Troeller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Troeller, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Troeller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Troeller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Troeller (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 Troeller mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle High German term "trülle" meaning basket-weaver or basket-maker. 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 Troeller (0.03 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 are called Troeller?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Troeller on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.