Heller
A surname with several possible origins, most often from a nickname or from the German word for a small coin.
The #1,399 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,168 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname has more than one plausible source. In German, Heller can be connected with the word for a small coin, and some surname dictionaries also treat it as a nickname-type formation. In English/Cornish material, it has also been linked to older local or occupational forms, including a Cornish explanation from a word for a huntsman, though that derivation is less certain.
History
The name appears in both German and English records, which makes a single origin unlikely for all bearers. German-language surname books often connect it with money-related or nickname-like forms, while Cornish onomastic work lists Heller alongside related local surnames and suggests a huntsman connection. Because of this mixed evidence, modern bearers may descend from different independent origins.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some historical surname writers connected Heller with the German coin name Heller, which was also used as a very small unit of money.
From the historical record
“ellan, the elms ; or from hal-land, hdl-lauy the moor enclosure. HELLER. See Helyar. HELLMAN. From hel-maen, the stony hill ; or Ml- maeriy the stony moor. HELLYAR, HELLYER. See Hklyar. HELSDON. From the parish of Helstone or Helston; from hal'laS'toUf the hill by a green moor. HELYAR, HELLYAR, HELLYER, HELLER.…”
— Patronymica Cornu-Britannica; or, the etymology of Cornish surnames