2000
#2,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,243
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.91
Uncommon Last name
Eller
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname derived from Middle High German erle, meaning "alder" or "elder tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,155 Americans carry the last name Eller. That puts it at #2,842 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,214 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eller 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 Eller with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,214
Census rank
#2,842
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,344 bearers of the surname Eller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2842nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eller, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eller
The surname Eller is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the German word "Eller," which refers to the alder tree. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near an alder grove or worked with alder wood.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Eller can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already in use in parts of Germany during this time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Eller name appeared in various church registers and municipal records throughout Germany, particularly in regions such as Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg. This implies that the name had become more widespread by this point.
In terms of notable individuals bearing the surname Eller, one of the earliest was Johannes Eller, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1556 to 1629. Another notable figure was Georg Philipp Eller, a German composer and organist who lived from 1684 to 1750.
As the name spread beyond Germany, it also took on variations in spelling and pronunciation. In the United States, for example, the name is sometimes spelled as Ellor or Ellers. One notable American with this surname was Ralph Waldo Emerson Eller, a 19th-century lawyer and politician from North Carolina.
Other notable individuals with the surname Eller include Ernst Eller, a German painter and sculptor who lived from 1890 to 1962, and Hans Eller, an Austrian architect and urban planner who lived from 1897 to 1975.
While the Eller name has its roots in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages, it has since spread to various parts of the world, likely due to migration and diaspora over the centuries. However, its etymological origins can still be traced back to the alder tree, a connection that has endured throughout the name's long history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eller
Among Census respondents with the surname Eller, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Eller 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 Eller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 11,168
- Two or more races3.9% · 481
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 324
- Black or African American1.5% · 187
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 88
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eller
Eller 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
#3,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,103
-2,140 bearers (-16.2%)
Per 100,000 3.76
Rank movement Down 753 places
2020
#2,842
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,344
+1,241 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 4.13
Rank movement Up 408 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,497 | 13,243 | 4.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,250 | 11,103 | 3.76 | -2,140 bearers (-16.2%) | Down 753 places |
| 2020 | #2,842 | 12,344 | 4.13 | +1,241 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 408 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 Eller 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 | #3,250 | #2,842 | 12.6% |
| Count | 11,103 | 12,344 | 11.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.76 | 4.13 | 9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eller bearers went from 11,103 to 12,344 (+11.2% change). The surname moved up 408 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,250 to #2,842.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Eller
FAQ
Eller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eller?
Name Census estimates that about 14,155 living Americans carry the surname Eller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,214 residents.
How common is Eller?
Eller ranks #2,842 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,344 people with the surname Eller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,155), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Eller.
Has Eller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eller went from 11,103 recorded bearers to 12,344. That is an increase of 1,241 (+11.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,250 to #2,842.
What does the Census say about the background of Eller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eller, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Eller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (11,168 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Eller (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 Eller mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname derived from Middle High German erle, meaning "alder" or "elder tree." 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 Eller (4.13 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 share the surname Eller?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.