NameCensus.

UK surname

Eller

A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname derived from Middle High German erle, meaning "alder" or "elder tree."

In the 1881 census there were 97 people recorded with the Eller surname, ranking it #20,127 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 126, ranked #26,686, down from #20,127 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Winch, West and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Oxfordshire, Southwark and Sheffield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Eller is 252 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 29.9%.

1881 census count

97

Ranked #20,127

Modern count

126

2016, ranked #26,686

Peak year

1861

252 bearers

Map years

6

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Eller had 97 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #20,127 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 126 in 2016, ranked #26,686.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 252 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Multicultural Inner Suburbs.

Eller surname distribution map

The map shows where the Eller surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Eller surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Eller over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 96 #17,594
1861 historical 252 #9,804
1881 historical 97 #20,127
1891 historical 161 #17,473
1901 historical 121 #20,444
1911 historical 89 #23,922
1997 modern 106 #26,057
1998 modern 116 #25,332
1999 modern 113 #25,913
2000 modern 105 #27,001
2001 modern 103 #26,927
2002 modern 102 #27,596
2003 modern 108 #26,486
2004 modern 108 #26,741
2005 modern 110 #26,430
2006 modern 102 #27,926
2007 modern 112 #26,800
2008 modern 118 #26,212
2009 modern 122 #26,220
2010 modern 127 #26,176
2011 modern 120 #26,930
2012 modern 129 #25,705
2013 modern 124 #26,842
2014 modern 124 #27,049
2015 modern 124 #26,944
2016 modern 126 #26,686

Geography

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Where Ellers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Winch, West, Manchester, Preston and Burton Pedwardine. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Oxfordshire, Southwark, Sheffield, Surrey Heath and Dalry and Fountainbridge. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Winch, West Norfolk
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Preston Lancashire
5 Burton Pedwardine Lincolnshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Oxfordshire 004 South Oxfordshire
2 Southwark 032 Southwark
3 Sheffield 026 Sheffield
4 Surrey Heath 010 Surrey Heath
5 Dalry and Fountainbridge City of Edinburgh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Eller

These lists show first names that appear often with the Eller surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Eller

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Eller, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Multicultural Inner Suburbs

Nationally, the Eller surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Multicultural Inner Suburbs, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Eller household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house many younger and middle-aged adults with children. All ethnic minorities, apart from those identifying as Pakistani or Bangladeshi, appear to be present in above average proportions. Affiliation to Christian religions is uncommon. Long-term disability rates are low, mirrored in limited provision of unpaid care. Privately rented terrace houses and flats are the norm. Managerial, professional and technical occupations are prevalent, and work is rarely part time. Many individuals have degree level qualifications. These areas form the inner suburbs of many of the UK’s towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Eller is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Eller is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Eller falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Eller is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Eller, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Eller families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Eller surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 21 Ellers recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.31x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 21 2.31x
Lancashire 20 1.84x
Surrey 14 3.13x
Middlesex 9 0.98x
Norfolk 8 5.68x
Cheshire 7 3.46x
Aberdeenshire 5 5.89x
Lincolnshire 4 2.73x
Oxfordshire 2 3.53x
Durham 1 0.37x
Northamptonshire 1 1.16x
Staffordshire 1 0.32x
Sussex 1 0.65x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Adwick On Dearne in Yorkshire leads with 8 Ellers recorded in 1881 and an index of 10000.00x.

Place Total Index
Adwick On Dearne 8 10000.00x
Castleford 8 241.69x
Great Bolton 7 48.58x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 5 31.49x
Battersea 5 14.82x
Newington 5 14.77x
Frampton 4 1428.57x
Poulton Cum Seacombe 4 171.67x
Thornham 4 677.97x
West Derby 4 12.57x
West Winch 4 3076.92x
Bethnal Green London 3 7.53x
Great Yarmouth 3 25.68x
Preston 3 10.31x
Swinton In Rotherham 3 125.00x
Bermondsey 2 7.33x
Brinnington 2 105.82x
Oxford St Aldate 2 333.33x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 10.84x
St Pancras London 2 2.71x
Beverley St Mary 1 75.19x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 5.79x
East Winch 1 769.23x
Edmonton 1 13.53x
Huddersfield 1 7.56x
Hulme 1 4.40x
Islington London 1 1.13x
Norton In Moors 1 60.98x
St Anne Soho London 1 19.08x
St Luke London 1 6.80x
Stockton On Tees 1 7.60x
Sulby 1 3333.33x
Uckfield 1 149.25x
Werneth 1 158.73x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Eller surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 11
Sarah 7
Elizabeth 3
Ellen 3
Amelia 2
Emily 2
Maria 2
Rachel 2
Ruth 2
Ann 1
Anne 1
Annie 1
Charlott 1
Charlotte 1
Clara 1
Eliza 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Grace 1
Harriet 1
Lilly 1
Marie 1
Matilda 1
Rhoda 1
Rosetta 1
S. 1
Susannah 1
Violet 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Eller surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 5
George 4
John 4
Joseph 3
Alfred 2
Frederick 2
Mark 2
Robert 2
Arther 1
Bill 1
C. 1
Edward 1
Francis 1
Irvin 1
Isaac 1
J. 1
James 1
Michael 1
Samuel 1
Tom 1

FAQ

Eller surname: questions and answers

How common was the Eller surname in 1881?

In 1881, 97 people were recorded with the Eller surname. That placed it at #20,127 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Eller surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 126 in 2016. That gives Eller a modern rank of #26,686.

What does the Eller surname mean?

A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname derived from Middle High German erle, meaning "alder" or "elder tree."

What does the Eller map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Eller bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.