2000
#9,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Bohl
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a plank maker or wood supplier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,526 Americans carry the last name Bohl. That puts it at #10,006 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,208 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bohl surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,208
Census rank
#10,006
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,075 bearers of the surname Bohl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10006th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bohl
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Bohl bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bohl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,845
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 107
- Two or more races2.4% · 75
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 20
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bohl
Bohl appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,125
+5 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 751 places
2020
#10,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,075
-50 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 304 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,559 | 3,120 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,310 | 3,125 | 1.06 | +5 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 751 places |
| 2020 | #10,006 | 3,075 | 1.03 | -50 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 304 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bohl surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,310 | #10,006 | 2.9% |
| Count | 3,125 | 3,075 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 1.03 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bohl bearers went from 3,125 to 3,075 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 304 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,310 to #10,006.
FAQ
Bohl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bohl?
Name Census estimates that about 3,526 living Americans carry the surname Bohl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,208 residents.
How common is Bohl?
Bohl ranks #10,006 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,075 people with the surname Bohl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,526), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bohl.
Has Bohl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bohl went from 3,125 recorded bearers to 3,075. That is a decrease of 50 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,310 to #10,006.
What does the Census say about the background of Bohl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bohl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,845 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bohl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bohl (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bohl mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational surname referring to someone who worked as a plank maker or wood supplier. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bohl (1.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Bohl?
Find out how many people have the surname Bohl on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.