Find out how popular the last name Bohl is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bohl.

Bohl, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bohl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bohl in America

Bohl is the 10310th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bohl surname appeared 3,125 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bohl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bohl to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bohl

The surname BOHL is of German origin, originating from the Middle High German word "bühel" or "büel," meaning "hill" or "mound." It likely emerged as a topographic name, given to individuals who lived near a prominent hill or on a small hill.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname BOHL date back to the 13th century in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in areas such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. In medieval records and documents, the name appeared with various spellings, including Buhel, Buel, and Buhl, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Heinrich Bohl, a landowner in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, who was mentioned in a land registry document from around 1290.

In the 15th century, the surname BOHL gained prominence with the rise of the Bohl family, a wealthy merchant clan based in the city of Augsburg, Bavaria. Notably, Anton Bohl (1458-1524) was a prominent merchant and banker who played a significant role in the economic and political affairs of the city.

Another notable figure was Johann Bohl (1592-1669), a German Protestant theologian and reformer from the city of Ulm. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church and authored several influential theological works during the post-Reformation period.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname BOHL spread across various regions of Germany and beyond. One notable bearer was Karl Bohl (1777-1856), a German jurist and legal scholar from Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia). He made significant contributions to the field of civil law and served as a professor at the University of Königsberg.

In the realm of literature, the surname BOHL is associated with Johann Christian Bohl von Faber (1772-1837), a German romantic novelist and playwright from Mecklenburg. His works, such as "Die Sternthaler" and "Ottilien," were celebrated for their portrayal of rural life and their contribution to the romantic literary movement.

As the German diaspora spread across the globe, the surname BOHL also found its way to other parts of the world, particularly in regions with significant German immigration, such as the United States, Canada, and parts of South America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bohl

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bohl.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bohl was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bohl has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bohl was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bohl, please contact us.

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