2000
#13,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,054
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Zellmer
A German occupational surname referring to a tax collector or customs officer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,219 Americans carry the last name Zellmer. That puts it at #14,732 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,463 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Zellmer 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
2.2K
1 in 154,463
Census rank
#14,732
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,935 bearers of the surname Zellmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14732nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Zellmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Zellmer
The surname Zellmer has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have originated from a place name, likely a small town or village in the northern regions of Germany. The name itself is thought to derive from the Old German words "zelli" or "zelle," meaning a small dwelling or hut, and "meer," meaning a lake or body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Zellmer can be found in a historical document from the town of Lüneburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany, dating back to the late 1400s. This document mentions a certain "Hans Zellmer," a local landowner and farmer.
In the 16th century, the name Zellmer appears in various records and manuscripts from the northern German states, particularly in the regions of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg, and Pomerania. It is possible that the name was borne by families who lived near lakes or bodies of water, as suggested by the root word "meer."
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Zellmer spread across different parts of Germany and the surrounding territories. One notable figure was Johann Zellmer (1668-1745), a Lutheran theologian and author from Mecklenburg, who wrote several religious texts and sermons.
In the 19th century, as immigration to the United States and other parts of the world became more common, the Zellmer surname began to appear in records outside of Germany. One example is August Zellmer (1823-1904), a German immigrant who settled in Wisconsin and became a successful farmer and landowner.
Another historical figure with the surname Zellmer was Karl Zellmer (1870-1932), a German artist and painter who was born in Berlin and gained recognition for his landscapes and portraits.
It is worth noting that variations and alternate spellings of the name Zellmer have existed throughout history, such as Zelmer, Zellermann, and Zellmehr, which further emphasizes the connection to the original place name and its meaning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Zellmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Zellmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Zellmer 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 Zellmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 1,825
- Two or more races2.4% · 46
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Zellmer
Zellmer 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
#13,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,246
+192 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 54 places
2020
#14,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,935
-311 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 1,226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,560 | 2,054 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,506 | 2,246 | 0.76 | +192 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 54 places |
| 2020 | #14,732 | 1,935 | 0.65 | -311 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 1,226 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 Zellmer 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 | #13,506 | #14,732 | -9.1% |
| Count | 2,246 | 1,935 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.65 | -14.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Zellmer bearers went from 2,246 to 1,935 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 1,226 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,506 to #14,732.
FAQ
Zellmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Zellmer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,219 living Americans carry the surname Zellmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,463 residents.
How common is Zellmer?
Zellmer ranks #14,732 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,935 people with the surname Zellmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,219), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Zellmer.
Has Zellmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Zellmer went from 2,246 recorded bearers to 1,935. That is a decrease of 311 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,506 to #14,732.
What does the Census say about the background of Zellmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Zellmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Zellmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (1,825 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Zellmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Zellmer (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 Zellmer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a tax collector or customs officer. 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 Zellmer (0.65 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 last name Zellmer?
You can see how many people are called Zellmer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.