Woller last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Woller

A German occupational surname originally referring to a wool worker or dealer.

Woller, 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 Woller surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Woller in America

Woller is the 23222nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Woller surname appeared 1,098 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 Woller.

We can also compare 2010 data for Woller 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 23222 21493 7.73%
Count 1,098 1,133 -3.14%
Proportion per 100k 0.37 0.42 -12.66%

The history of the last name Woller

The surname Woller finds its origins in Germany during the medieval period, specifically around the 12th century. It is believed to come from regions in central and southern Germany, particularly in areas like Bavaria and Saxony. The name likely originates from the Middle High German word "wolle," meaning wool, indicating an occupation related to wool production or trading, possibly a wool merchant or a weaver.

Early references to the name Woller can be found in various medieval manuscripts and records. One of the oldest known references is from a 13th-century Bavarian tax register where a "Johannes Woller" is listed as a taxable inhabitant, showing that individuals with this surname were already recognized in local administrative documents by that time.

The name appears in historical documents with variant spellings such as Wollner and Wollers, reflecting the phonetic spelling practices of the period. For instance, a record from the 14th century mentions a "Hans Wollner," a notable landowner in Saxony. Place names such as Wollern and Wollstadt might also have originated from the surnames of prominent residents who had substantial local influence.

Peter Woller, born in 1420 in Nuremberg, was a master weaver renowned for his intricate textile designs, suggesting the name's occupational linkage within the textile industry. He significantly contributed to the economic growth of his guild and his name appears frequently in guild records of the mid-15th century.

In the realm of literature and academia, Johann Carl Woller, born in 1582, was an influential Lutheran theologian and scholar. His treatises on the Reformation added to the theological debates of his time, earning him recognition in religious circles.

Moving ahead to the early modern period, the name Woller crosses into American records. George Woller, born in 1714, emigrated from Saxony to Pennsylvania in 1740, becoming a respected member of the German immigrant community who contributed to early American society by establishing a successful milling business.

In the arts, Karoline Woller, born in 1848 in Berlin, was a notable 19th-century painter whose works depicted rural German life. Her paintings are still studied for their unique portrayal of peasant culture and are held in several German museums.

Overall, the surname Woller reflects a rich occupational heritage tied to wool production and trade, with early bearers of the name significantly contributing to various fields such as craftsmanship, theology, business, and the arts through history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Woller

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

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 Woller was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.99% 1,043
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.91% 10
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.18% 13
Hispanic Origin 1.91% 21

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 Woller has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.99% 96.03% -1.09%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.91% 0.88% 3.35%
Two or More Races 1.18% 0.97% 19.53%
Hispanic 1.91% 1.15% 49.67%

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

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

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"Woller last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/woller-surname-popularity/.

"Woller last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/woller-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Woller last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/woller-surname-popularity/.

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