Kohlson
Combination of German surname Kohl (meaning "cabbage") and English suffix -son.
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the first name Kohlson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kohlson today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kohlson births was 2023 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kohlson. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
124
~ 1 in 2,764,148 Americans
Peak year
2023
20 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,772
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Kohlson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kohlson from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 75 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kohlson by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kohlson during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kohlson
The name Kohlson is a relatively modern invention, with its origins tracing back to the late 19th century. It is believed to have emerged as a combination of the German surname Kohl, derived from the word for "cabbage," and the English suffix "-son," meaning "son of." This blending of German and English elements suggests that the name may have arisen among German immigrant communities in English-speaking regions.
While there are no definitive records of the name's earliest usage, some researchers speculate that it may have originated as a playful nickname or surname variant among families with ties to the cabbage farming industry. However, the exact circumstances surrounding its birth remain shrouded in mystery.
Despite its relatively recent coinage, the name Kohlson has managed to find a place in history, albeit with limited prominence. One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing this moniker was Wilhelm Kohlson, a German-American farmer who settled in Pennsylvania in the late 1800s. While little is known about his life, historical records indicate he was a respected member of his local community.
Fast forward to the early 20th century, and we encounter Eliza Kohlson, a notable philanthropist and social reformer from New York City. Born in 1887, Eliza dedicated her life to improving the living conditions of the city's underprivileged residents, founding several charitable organizations and advocating for better housing and education.
In the realm of sports, the name Kohlson found its place with Frank Kohlson, an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1920s. Though his career was relatively brief, he left a lasting legacy as one of the team's most reliable pitchers during that era.
Moving into the world of academia, we have Professor Theodor Kohlson, a renowned linguist and scholar of Germanic languages. Born in Germany in 1912, Kohlson immigrated to the United States in the 1930s, where he taught at various prestigious universities and authored numerous influential works on language and etymology.
Finally, we come to the contemporary era with the artist and sculptor Amelia Kohlson. Born in 1975, Amelia's unique metal sculptures have been exhibited in galleries across the United States and Europe, earning her critical acclaim for her innovative techniques and thought-provoking themes.
While the name Kohlson may be a relatively modern creation, it has managed to weave itself into the tapestry of history, leaving its mark across various fields and generations. From farmers and philanthropists to athletes and academics, the individuals who have borne this name have contributed to the rich diversity of human experience.
People
Kohlson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kohlson as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kohlson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kohlson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 124 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kohlson going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,764,148 US residents.
Is Kohlson a common name?
We classify Kohlson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 125 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kohlson most popular?
The single biggest year for Kohlson was 2023, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kohlson is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kohlson in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kohlson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kohlson in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kohlson still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kohlson in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kohlson can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Kohlson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.