Zeller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Etymology of Zeller

What does the name Zeller mean?

The ancient roots of the Zeller family are found in the German state of Bavaria. The Zeller surname, was a local name, for someone who lived in the place named Zell. This place-name can be found in several areas in Germany, but the most well known town of this name is in the region of Freiburg, which is in the Schwarzwald, or the Black Forest, just north of the Swiss border. The place-name has appeared in several countries where the Germanic people had influence.

Early Origins of the Zeller family

The surname Zeller was first found in Bavaria, where the name could be considered to make a great early contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of early development of Europe. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the savage tribal and national conflicts, each group seeking supremacy in constantly changing power relations. Chronicles first mention Ulrich Zeller of Esslingen in 1282 and Dietrich Czelleman of Muehlhausen in Saxony in 1393. The name originates in the Latin word "cella," which was taken into mediaeval German in the word "Klosterzelle."

Early History of the Zeller family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Zeller research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1462, 1477, 1497, 1503, 1548, 1560, 1562, 1630, 1683 and 1763 are included under the topic Early Zeller History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Zeller Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Zeller include Zeller, Zellers, Zell, Zelle, Zella, Zellmer, Zelleman, Zellaman, Zellemann, Zellner, Zelmer, Zelman, Zelkmann, Zellman, Zelner, Zellerman and many more.

Early Notables of the Zeller family

Matthäus (Matias) Zell (1477-1548), a Lutheran theologian and reformer based in Strasbourg; and his wife Katharina Zell, née Schütz (1497-1562), a German Protestant writer during the Reformation; Ulrich Zell (died c.1503), the first printer of Colonge, he learned the art...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Zeller Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Zeller Ranking

the United States, the name Zeller is the 3,867^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Zeller is ranked the 3,689^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2

Zeller migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Zeller Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. H. Zeller, (b. 1855), aged 35, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Tainui" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in December 1890 3
Mrs. Zeller, (b. 1858), aged 32, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Tainui" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in December 1890 3

Zeller migration to the United States +

Zeller Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johann Hcnrich Zeller, who landed in New York, NY in 1710 4
Johannes Zeller, who arrived in New York, NY in 1710 4
Heinrich Zeller, who settled in Philadelphia in 1738
Bartel Zeller, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 4
Conrad Zeller, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Zeller Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Regina Zeller, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1806 4
Francis Zeller, who arrived in Maryland in 1834 4
Joh Bern Zeller, who landed in America in 1836 4
Val Zeller, aged 32, who arrived in Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Hamilton", he died in 1846 4
Philip Zeller, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1848 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Zeller Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

George M Zeller, who landed in Arkansas in 1901 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Zeller (post 1700) +

Walter P. Zeller (1890-1957), Canadian businessman and founder of discount retail chain Zellers
Joachim Zeller (1952-2023), German politician, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2009 until 2019
Eva Zeller (1923-2022), German poet and novelist, born in Eberswalde, Province of Brandenburg
Eduard Gottlob Zeller (1814-1908), German philosophical historian influenced by Hegel
Philipp Christoph Zeller (1808-1883), German entomologist
Ella Zeller (1933-2025), Romanian table tennis player, coach and administrator, won several medals in singles, doubles, and team events in the Table Tennis European Championships and in the World Table Tennis Championships (1952-1964), inducted to the ITTF Hall of Fame (1995)
Bibiana Zeller (1928-2023), Austrian actress of stage, film and television
David A. Zeller (1939-2020), American professional NBA basketball player
Tyler Paul Zeller (b. 1990), American college basketball player
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)