Kellner
A German occupational surname meaning a cellarer, tavern keeper, or waiter.
The #7,673 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 71,320 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kellner comes from German words for a cellar or storeroom and the person who kept it. The deeper root is Latin cellarius, meaning a cellarer or storekeeper, which passed into medieval German as forms like kelnaere and related spellings. In later German, the word also came to mean a waiter, barman, or tapster, so the surname could refer to a household official or an inn worker.
History
Historical sources show the name used in German-speaking areas for a range of service roles connected with wine, supplies, and hospitality. Older scholarship also links it to court and monastic officials responsible for stores and accounts, not just taverns. The surname may also overlap with Keller and Kellermeister in some records, and some bearers adopted Latinized forms such as Cellarius in scholarly contexts.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older German, Kellner could mean not only a waiter but also a man in charge of a cellar or tavern store, which is why the surname has a more administrative feel than modern English ‘waiter.’
From the historical record
“KELLER \ (Ger.) Cellarer; Tavern- KELLNER J Keeper; Butler [M.H.Ger. kellcere, kelnare; Lat. cellarius, store- keeper, cellarer] In mod. Ger. kellerer = ' keeper of a cellar or tavern ' ; kellner = ' barman,' ' tapster,' ' waiter '; kellermeister (lit. ' cellar- master ')'= 'butler.' KERN (Ger.) Excellent, Choice…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)