2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Cohl
A surname of German origin referring to a person from the town of Kohl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Cohl. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cohl 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Cohl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cohl
The surname COHL is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first appeared around the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "Kohler," which referred to a charcoal maker or someone who worked with coal.
In its earliest recorded instances, COHL was often spelled "Kohler" or "Koehler." These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and differences in pronunciation across various parts of Germany. The name may also have connections to certain place names, such as the town of Köhler in Saxony-Anhalt.
One of the earliest documented references to the COHL surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was well-established in central Germany during this period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the COHL surname. In the 16th century, Johannes Cohl (1518-1597) was a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another early bearer of the name was Johann Peter Cohl (1647-1724), a German composer and organist known for his contributions to sacred music.
In the 19th century, Carl Wilhelm Cohl (1811-1887) was a German painter and illustrator renowned for his landscape paintings and etchings. Around the same time, Otto Cohl (1833-1912) was a German businessman and philanthropist who made substantial donations to various charitable organizations.
One of the most famous individuals with the COHL surname was Emil Cohl (1857-1944), a German-born French caricaturist and animator widely regarded as one of the pioneers of the animated film industry. His innovative work, such as the 1908 film "Fantasmagorie," paved the way for the development of modern animation techniques.
While the COHL surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the coal-related occupations and regions of central Germany during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cohl
Among Census respondents with the surname Cohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Cohl 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 Cohl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 109
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cohl
Cohl 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-31 bearers (-22.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 34,963 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -31 bearers (-22.1%) | Down 34,963 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,231 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 Cohl 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 | #150,452 | #147,221 | 2.1% |
| Count | 109 | 113 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cohl bearers went from 109 to 113 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,231 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #147,221.
FAQ
Cohl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cohl?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Cohl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Cohl?
Cohl ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 113 people with the surname Cohl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cohl.
Has Cohl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cohl went from 109 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Cohl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Cohl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cohl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Cohl (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 Cohl mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a person from the town of Kohl. 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 Cohl (0.04 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 share the surname Cohl?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.