Keller
Masculine · “cellarer”
Keller is given to both — 3,702 boys and 470 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Keller is a cellarer in German — the man who kept the wine and the stores, which in a monastery was among the more powerful jobs.
How old is the name Keller?
Keller first appears in US birth records in 1911 — 114 years ago. The typical Keller alive today was born around 2011, making them about 14 years old. About 3,500 people named Keller are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Keller most popular?
Keller peaked in 2012, reaching #1090 nationally. Today it ranks #1992, 902 places below that high. See the whole 2012 chart.
Where it comes from
From cellarium to Keller
The story of Keller
The cellarer ran a monastery's material life — food, drink, buildings and money — and the Rule of Benedict describes the post at length as second only to the abbot in practical weight. Keller is among the commonest German surnames. It entered American given-name use recently and appears in the registers in current use.
Meaning
cellarer, keeper of stores
From the German Keller, 'cellar', from the Latin cellarium, 'storeroom'. The occupational surname named the officer in charge of provisions. The same Latin gives cellar and cell. The etymology is documented and undisputed.
How the name formed
- cellarium
- Keller
- Keller
Related forms: Keller · Cellarer · Cellier
Pronouncing Keller
KEL-ur
Two syllables, stress on the first. German says it the same way with a rolled r.
Nicknames for Keller
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1911
- Most boys named
- 2014171 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1090reached in 2012
- Change vs 2023
- −27.6%76 in 2025, from 105
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Keller in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Keller in German — same name
- Cellarer in English — related form
- Cellier in French — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Virginia, Louisiana.
Kellers among us
people named Keller are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 22,475 born in 2025 was named Keller
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Christos test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Keller's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Christos climbed just as high around 1979, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Christos's path sketches the road Keller is walking now.
Keller sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Keller is headed
Keller should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Keller beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Keller in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The cellarer meaning is concrete and the Rule of Benedict describes the office in detail.
- Kell and Kel are two short forms, both with real use.
- Two clean syllables with no pronunciation risk.
- It reads unmistakably as a surname.
- Helen Keller is a strong association for many Americans.
- It is very new as a given name.
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What they receive
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Keller
Masculine · #1992 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Kellers are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,500 people named Keller are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Keller in 2025?
- Keller ranks #1992 among US boy names in 2025, with 76 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Keller?
- About 1 in every 22,475 US boys born in 2025 was named Keller — 76 in all.
- Will my child share the name Keller with classmates?
- Keller will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Keller
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Buck#1992 · Exodus#1992 · Cadence#1992 · Hashim#1992 · Ori#1992 · Paolo#1992 · Abubakr#1992 · Chosyn#1992
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Keller? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Keller and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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