2000
#3,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,006
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.71
Uncommon Last name
Zeller
A German occupational surname referring to a person who lived by or worked at a monastic cell or room.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,773 Americans carry the last name Zeller. That puts it at #3,680 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,816 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zeller 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
11K
1 in 31,816
Census rank
#3,680
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.4K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,395 bearers of the surname Zeller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3680th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeller, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zeller
The surname Zeller is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "zelle," meaning "cell" or "chamber." It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century, likely referring to someone who lived in a small room or dwelling.
The name Zeller was initially associated with people residing in or near monastic cells or small living quarters. As a result, it was commonly found in areas with a strong monastic presence, such as Bavaria and other regions of southern Germany.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Mellicensis, a 12th-century manuscript from the Melk Abbey in Austria, which mentions a person named "Zellarius" in the year 1156.
In the 14th century, records from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria mention a family named Zeller. This suggests that the name had already become established as a surname by that time.
Notable individuals with the surname Zeller include:
1. Joachim Zeller (1520-1570), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
2. Christian Friedrich Zeller (1737-1801), a German architect and designer, known for his work on numerous churches and public buildings in the Duchy of Württemberg.
3. Eduard Zeller (1814-1908), a German philosopher and historian who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek philosophy.
4. Hans Zeller (1909-2003), a Swiss architect renowned for his modernist designs and his work on the reconstruction of Germany after World War II.
5. Wolfgang Zeller (born 1945), a German businessman and former CEO of the automotive company Continental AG.
The name Zeller was also associated with various place names throughout German-speaking regions, such as Zell (meaning "cell" or "small room"), Zellenberg, and Zellermühle. These place names reinforced the connection between the surname and its origins related to dwellings or monastic cells.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zeller
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeller, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Zeller 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 Zeller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 8,590
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 336
- Two or more races3.5% · 327
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 69
- Black or African American0.5% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 28
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zeller
Zeller 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
#3,370
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,595
+589 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 3.59
Rank movement Down 84 places
2020
#3,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,395
-1,200 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 3.14
Rank movement Down 310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,286 | 10,006 | 3.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,370 | 10,595 | 3.59 | +589 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 84 places |
| 2020 | #3,680 | 9,395 | 3.14 | -1,200 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 310 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 Zeller 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 | #3,370 | #3,680 | -9.2% |
| Count | 10,595 | 9,395 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.59 | 3.14 | -12.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zeller bearers went from 10,595 to 9,395 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 310 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,370 to #3,680.
FAQ
Zeller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zeller?
Name Census estimates that about 10,773 living Americans carry the surname Zeller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,816 residents.
How common is Zeller?
Zeller ranks #3,680 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,395 people with the surname Zeller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,773), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Zeller.
Has Zeller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zeller went from 10,595 recorded bearers to 9,395. That is a decrease of 1,200 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,370 to #3,680.
What does the Census say about the background of Zeller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zeller, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Zeller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (8,590 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zeller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Zeller (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 Zeller mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who lived by or worked at a monastic cell or room. 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 Zeller (3.14 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 have the surname Zeller?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.