Scheller
A German surname most likely connected to nicknames or occupational terms built on the root for “to ring” or “a bell.”
The #8,916 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 84,081 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Scheller is a German surname, and the old dictionaries point it toward the German root schellen, meaning “to ring” or “to jingle,” or toward related forms involving bells. As a surname, it may originally have described someone associated with bells, noise, or a bell-ringer’s trade, though some older authors also treated similar forms as nickname-like. Because the historical sources given here are only incidental references, the exact derivation should be treated as likely rather than certain.
History
The name appears in German-language surname material from the 19th century, where it is grouped with other Schell- names such as Schelle, Schellenberg, and Schellerer. It is established in German-speaking areas and later appears in immigrant records in the United States. The modern U.S. presence is modest but steady, consistent with a surname of German origin that spread through migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname belongs to a large family of German names built on the same Schell- root, which often has to do with bells or ringing sounds.
From the historical record
“(Schiltheri): Schilter — Schilder — Schiller — Scheller. (Schiltwin) : ScJiellwien. Einstämmige Eürzung Scild-. Seilte: Schilde; Schild — Schill — Scheldt. Gen. Schelten. Patr. A.”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen