Moller
A German and Scandinavian surname meaning “miller,” especially a Low German or Danish-Norwegian form of Müller.
The #7,863 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 73,354 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Moller is a spelling found in northern German and Scandinavian traditions, where it corresponds to the common occupational surname for a miller. The name goes back to forms related to German Müller and to the older Latin-based word for a miller, ultimately tied to milling grain. In northern dialects the vowel shape and spelling often differed from the more familiar high-German Müller.
History
19th- and early-20th-century surname writers regularly treated Moller and Möller as northern forms of Müller, especially in Low German and Danish-Norwegian contexts. The name is common enough in Germany and Scandinavia that spellings with or without umlaut often coexist, and English-language sources sometimes present Moller as an Anglicized form. In the United States it is relatively uncommon, and many bearers likely descend from German-speaking or Scandinavian immigrants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books explicitly note Moller as the northern counterpart of the very common German name Müller, not a separate profession.
From the historical record
“A.-Sax. Chron., A.D. 761. MOLLER, an Anglicized form of the Dan.- Norvir. Moller = Miller. MOLLET 1 = Moll (q.v.) -|- the Fr. dim. MOLLETT J sufif. -et. MOLLIS, Molly's (Son) ] Molly, adouhle MOLLISON 1 Molly's Son [ ^im. of Mary ; MOLLESON / J a\so of Matilda: V. Malkin. MOLLOCK = Mullock, q.v.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Moller
- Lillian Moller Gilbreth (1878–1972)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.