2000
#3,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,562
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.54
Uncommon Last name
Haller
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a salt maker or a salt worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,501 Americans carry the last name Haller. That puts it at #3,779 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,640 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haller 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 Haller with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,640
Census rank
#3,779
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,157 bearers of the surname Haller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3779th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haller, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haller
The surname Haller has its origins in the German language. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "halle," which referred to a covered hall or marketplace. The name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked in or lived near such a structure.
The earliest known record of the surname Haller dates back to the 13th century in the region of Swabia, which is now part of modern-day Germany. The name was particularly prevalent in the towns and villages surrounding the city of Stuttgart.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name Haller was Albrecht Haller, a wealthy merchant and landowner from the city of Nuremberg. He was involved in the lucrative trade of spices and textiles and played a significant role in the economic prosperity of the region.
Another historical reference to the name Haller can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of documents from the medieval period. This manuscript mentions a family named Haller who owned land and properties in the region of Saxony during the 15th century.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Haller was Albrecht von Haller, a Swiss anatomist, physiologist, and poet who lived from 1708 to 1777. He is considered a pioneer in the field of experimental physiology and made significant contributions to the study of embryology and the nervous system.
In the 18th century, Johann Haller, a German composer and organist (1728-1804), gained recognition for his works in sacred music. He served as the court organist in Schwerin and composed numerous pieces for organ and choir.
Another noteworthy figure was Carl Ludwig Haller (1768-1854), a Swiss botanist and naturalist. He conducted extensive research on the flora of Switzerland and made important discoveries in the field of plant taxonomy.
During the 19th century, Ferdinand Haller von Hallerstein (1803-1868) was a prominent Austrian statesman and politician. He served as the Minister of the Interior and played a crucial role in the reforms of the Austrian Empire.
In the realm of literature, Albrecht Haller (1892-1945) was a German writer and poet known for his expressionist works. He gained recognition for his novel "Der Untertan" (The Man of Straw), which was a critical examination of German society and its values.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haller
Among Census respondents with the surname Haller, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Haller 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 Haller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 8,281
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 333
- Two or more races3.3% · 299
- Black or African American1.2% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haller
Haller 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
#3,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,992
+430 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 3.39
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#3,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,157
-835 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 3.06
Rank movement Down 211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,426 | 9,562 | 3.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,568 | 9,992 | 3.39 | +430 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #3,779 | 9,157 | 3.06 | -835 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 211 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 Haller 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 | #3,568 | #3,779 | -5.9% |
| Count | 9,992 | 9,157 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.39 | 3.06 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haller bearers went from 9,992 to 9,157 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 211 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,568 to #3,779.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Haller
FAQ
Haller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haller?
Name Census estimates that about 10,501 living Americans carry the surname Haller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,640 residents.
How common is Haller?
Haller ranks #3,779 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.06 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 9,157 people with the surname Haller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,501), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.06 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 Haller.
Has Haller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haller went from 9,992 recorded bearers to 9,157. That is a decrease of 835 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,568 to #3,779.
What does the Census say about the background of Haller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haller, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Haller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (8,281 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Haller (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 Haller mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a salt maker or a salt worker. 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 Haller (3.06 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 Americans have the surname Haller?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.