Muller

Muller is a surname of German origin, an anglicized form of the German occupational name Müller, meaning "mill worker" or "miller." The surname identifies an ancestor who operated a mill, a common occupation in medieval and early modern Europe. The standard German spelling is Müller; forms without the umlaut, such as Muller or Mueller, are common in English-speaking countries and in regions where umlauts are not used.

Variants include Muller and Mueller, with Mueller often representing an English or American adaptation. In Dutch, the surname can appear as Muller as well. The name spread widely through German, Dutch, and Swiss emigration to the Americas and other parts of the world, where diacritics are frequently dropped or altered.

Today, Müller remains one of the most common surnames in German-speaking countries, and its anglicized forms are frequently encountered in the United States, Canada, Australia, and beyond. Like many occupational surnames, Muller/Müller has diversified into unrelated family lines and is associated with a wide range of individuals across science, arts, politics, and sport, rather than with a single lineage.

See also: Müller, Mueller, and Muller as spellings of the same name.