Mueller

Mueller is a German-language surname derived from Müller, meaning miller. The umlaut in Müller is often rendered as "ue" or dropped in English-language contexts, producing the spellings Mueller or Muller's family name. It is among the most common German surnames and is widespread among descendants of German immigrants in the United States and other countries.

Notable people with the surname include Robert S. Mueller III (born 1944), who served as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2001 to 2013 and as special counsel from 2017 to 2019, overseeing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The name is also associated with the public Mueller Report, the 2019 document outlining the findings of that investigation. The report documented Russian interference and related contacts between Russian individuals and the Trump campaign, and it did not conclude that the President committed a crime while also not exonerating him on obstruction of justice, leaving some questions to resolve in Congress.

Beyond individuals, Mueller appears in various contexts through the surname’s use in publications, institutions, and place names that honor people bearing the name. The original German form Müll er remains common in German-speaking regions, while Mueller reflects its standard English-language transliteration.