2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cohler
From an English occupational surname referring to a charcoal burner or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Cohler. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cohler 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Cohler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cohler, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cohler
The surname Cohler is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia. It can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Kohler," which means "charcoal burner" or "coal miner."
In the medieval period, surnames often originated from occupations, and it is likely that the earliest bearers of the name Cohler were engaged in the trade of charcoal burning or worked in coal mines. The name may have also been associated with a specific place or location where charcoal burning or coal mining activities took place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cohler can be found in the Bavarian town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a man named Hans Cohler was mentioned in a local record from the year 1457. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by the mid-15th century.
Another notable historical figure bearing the name Cohler was Johann Cohler, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1619 to 1682. He was born in the town of Naumburg, Saxony, and served as a professor of philosophy and theology at the University of Jena.
In the 18th century, a man named Friedrich Cohler (1733-1809) gained recognition as a German composer and organist. He was born in Rudolstadt, Thuringia, and composed several works for the organ and other instruments.
Moving into the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Cohler was the German politician and lawyer August Cohler (1808-1877). He was born in Mainz and served as a member of the Frankfurt Parliament during the Revolutions of 1848-1849.
Another individual of note was the German-American artist and illustrator Max Cohler (1875-1947). He was born in Landau, Bavaria, and later immigrated to the United States, where he became known for his illustrations in magazines and books.
Throughout history, the surname Cohler has undergone various spellings, such as Kohler, Koehler, and Koller, reflecting regional variations and language changes over time. However, the essence of the name, rooted in the occupation of charcoal burning or coal mining, has remained a consistent thread throughout its evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cohler
Among Census respondents with the surname Cohler, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Cohler 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 Cohler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 98
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cohler
Cohler 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,861 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+6 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,815 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 8,861 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.7%) | Up 5,815 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 Cohler 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 | #153,769 | #147,954 | 3.8% |
| Count | 106 | 112 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cohler bearers went from 106 to 112 (+5.7% change). The surname moved up 5,815 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #147,954.
FAQ
Cohler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cohler?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Cohler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Cohler?
Cohler ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Cohler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Cohler.
Has Cohler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cohler went from 106 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 6 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Cohler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cohler, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.1%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Cohler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cohler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Two or More Races (7.1%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Cohler (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 Cohler mean?
From an English occupational surname referring to a charcoal burner or seller. 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 Cohler (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 have the last name Cohler?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Cohler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.