The Word
"Ziller"
How did the name Ziller become a surname?
First, it is important to understand how surnames were first used and given to people. In the 1300's in Europe people were starting to aquire apposition names. The reasons were of political and juridical nature. These apposition names turned over the centuries into a surname since it passes on from generation to generation. The origins of these apposition names are mostly from first names, from the farms where they lived, from the peasant's holding or from their profession or occupation.
More research needs to be done in this area but it now appears that the Ziller name has nothing to do with the Zillertal, even though there are Zillers near that area of Austria.
The name Ziller seems to have multiple origins in different parts of Europe. The names that originated from Austria come from estate or farm names. The word "zil" comes from an ancient German speech (Mittelhochdeutsch) and means borderland or point. The farms in these remote places or borderlands could be called "Zil" or "Zill". People who lived at that these farms received the farm-name and were called "Ziller". Other German Ziller names may have their origins in slavic words and names like Zielke, Zilsche, or Zielowski.
There is a book from Tyrol called "Tyrolien surname book" (Tiroler Familiennamen Kunde) This book is a study about surnames from the area. The entry for Ziller lists probable words or names that the Ziller name derived from. The origination could be from these farm names:
Or from these words: