2000
#467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 64,305
First available Census row
Per 100,000 23.84
Uncommon Last name
Mueller
A German occupational surname referring to a miller, derived from the Middle High German word "mülnære" or "müller."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 71,266 Americans carry the last name Mueller. That puts it at #530 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 20.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,810 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mueller 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 Mueller with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
71K
1 in 4,810
Census rank
#530
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
20.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
62K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 62,147 bearers of the surname Mueller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 20.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 530th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mueller, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mueller
The surname Mueller is of German origin, derived from the occupational term "Müller," which means "miller" in English. This name can be traced back to the Middle Ages in German-speaking regions of Europe.
Mueller is one of the most common surnames in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, reflecting the importance of the milling trade in those areas. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, appearing in historical records and documents from various German towns and cities.
In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Mueller was Konrad Mueller, a German monk and theologian who lived from 1325 to 1407. He was an influential thinker during the late medieval period and authored several works on religious philosophy.
Another significant bearer of the Mueller name was Johannes Mueller, a renowned German astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1436 to 1476. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and is credited with developing the first modern celestial globe.
During the Renaissance period, a famous painter named Adam Mueller, also known as Adam Elsheimer, gained recognition for his pioneering work in the development of the German Baroque style. He was born in 1578 and died in 1620.
In the 19th century, Johann Mueller, a German botanist and explorer, made important contributions to the study of plant life in Australia. He was born in 1801 and lived until 1858, publishing numerous works on the flora of the Australian continent.
Another notable figure with the Mueller surname was Friedrich Mueller, a German philosopher and educator who lived from 1834 to 1898. He was a prominent figure in the field of education and advocated for reforms in the German educational system.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Mueller, which has its roots in the medieval German occupation of milling grain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mueller
Among Census respondents with the surname Mueller, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Mueller 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 Mueller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 57,740
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 1,865
- Two or more races2.6% · 1,641
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 523
- Black or African American0.4% · 259
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 119
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mueller
Mueller 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
#523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 64,191
-114 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 21.76
Rank movement Down 56 places
2020
#530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 62,147
-2,044 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 20.79
Rank movement Down 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #467 | 64,305 | 23.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #523 | 64,191 | 21.76 | -114 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 56 places |
| 2020 | #530 | 62,147 | 20.79 | -2,044 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 7 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 Mueller 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 | #523 | #530 | -1.3% |
| Count | 64,191 | 62,147 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 21.76 | 20.79 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mueller bearers went from 64,191 to 62,147 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #523 to #530.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Mueller
FAQ
Mueller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mueller?
Name Census estimates that about 71,266 living Americans carry the surname Mueller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,810 residents.
How common is Mueller?
Mueller ranks #530 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 20.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 62,147 people with the surname Mueller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (71,266), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 20.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 20.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname Mueller.
Has Mueller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mueller went from 64,191 recorded bearers to 62,147. That is a decrease of 2,044 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #523 to #530.
What does the Census say about the background of Mueller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mueller, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Mueller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (57,740 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mueller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (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 Mueller (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 Mueller mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a miller, derived from the Middle High German word "mülnære" or "müller." 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 Mueller (20.79 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 Mueller?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.