Explore the Family Name Eller
The meaning of Eller
1. North German: topographic name for someone who lived by an alder tree, from Middle Low German elre, alre ‘alder’. 2. German: habitational name from any of the places in the North Rhine and Mosel areas, so called from an old stream name Elera, Alira, of Celtic origin. 3. Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): variant of Heller, reflecting varieties of Yiddish in which there is no h. 4. English (Yorkshire and Lancashire): possibly a topographic name from Middle English eller ‘alder’ but there is no medieval evidence for the surname. In the case of the Yorkshire name, it might be a variant of Ellers with loss of -s. Alternatively, it may be a variant of Elder or Heller.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Eller in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Eller saw a significant decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Eller was ranked as the 2497th most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had fallen to 3250th place, representing a drop of over 30%. Similarly, the count of individuals with this surname decreased from 13,243 in 2000 to 11,103 in 2010, a decline of over 16%. Consequently, the proportion of people named Eller per 100,000 population also fell by more than 23% during the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,497 | #3,250 | -30.16% |
| Count | 13,243 | 11,103 | -16.16% |
| Proportion per 100k | 4.91 | 3.76 | -23.42% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Eller
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Eller saw some shifts between 2000 and 2010 as well, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The largest ethnic group identifying with this surname remained White, though its share reduced slightly from 94.89% to 93.57%. At the same time, there was a notable increase in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic, rising from 0.33% to 0.54% and 1.3% to 2.02% respectively. Those identifying as Two or More Races also increased from 1.02% to 1.41%. Meanwhile, the percentage of Black individuals and American Indian and Alaskan Natives with this surname changed slightly, with the former decreasing by about 7% and the latter increasing by around 13%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.89% | 93.57% | -1.39% |
| Hispanic | 1.3% | 2.02% | 55.38% |
| Black | 1.59% | 1.48% | -6.92% |
| Two or More Races | 1.02% | 1.41% | 38.24% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.87% | 0.98% | 12.64% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.33% | 0.54% | 63.64% |
Eller ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Eller is British & Irish, which comprises 52.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (29.6%) and Scandinavian (3.8%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe
| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 52.0% |
| French & German | 29.6% |
| Scandinavian | 3.8% |
| Other | 14.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Eller
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Eller have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.30% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.30% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 87.30% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 87.00% |
What Eller haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Eller is I-Y13946, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Y13946 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include J-M67 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Scott, Forster, Biggs, Braun, Carr, Wilkinson, Phillips, Norris, Cross, Doe.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Eller surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Eller have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Eller" Surname 40.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Eller" Surname 29.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Eller" Surname 30.3%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Eller" Surname 22.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Eller?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Eller are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition