2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Koebele
A German surname derived from the word "Köbel" meaning a small wooden bucket or tub.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Koebele. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koebele 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Koebele in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koebele, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koebele
The surname KOEBELE originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the 14th century. It is derived from the German word "Köbel," which refers to a small barrel or wooden container used for storing goods. This name likely arose as a descriptive byname for an individual who crafted or sold these containers.
In early records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Koebel, Köbele, and Köbel, reflecting regional linguistic variations. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the tax records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a medieval town in Bavaria, where a certain Hans Koebele is listed as a resident in 1386.
The name later spread to other parts of Germany, including Saxony and Hesse. In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Köbele, a Protestant reformer and theologian from Nuremberg, who lived from 1492 to 1553.
As the name KOEBELE evolved, it became associated with certain geographical locations. For instance, the village of Köbelsberg in Thuringia, Germany, derives its name from the Middle High German word "Köbelsberg," meaning "hill of the small barrel makers."
Among the notable historical figures bearing the KOEBELE surname, one can mention Johann Konrad Köbele (1670-1736), a German painter and engraver from Augsburg, known for his religious works and portraits. Another prominent individual was Heinrich Köbele (1876-1948), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction of Dresden after World War II.
In the 19th century, the name found its way to the United States through German immigration. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John Koebele (1818-1899), a farmer and vintner from Württemberg, who settled in Missouri in the 1840s.
Another notable bearer of the KOEBELE name was Albert Koebele (1852-1924), a German-American entomologist and pioneer in the field of biological pest control. He was instrumental in introducing the Vedalia beetle to California to combat the cottony cushion scale, a destructive pest threatening the citrus industry.
While the surname KOEBELE has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from art and architecture to science and agriculture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koebele
Among Census respondents with the surname Koebele, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Koebele 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 Koebele surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 116
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koebele
Koebele 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
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,605 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+10 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,664 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 6,605 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 7,664 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 Koebele 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 | #142,788 | 5.1% |
| Count | 109 | 119 | 9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koebele bearers went from 109 to 119 (+9.2% change). The surname moved up 7,664 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #142,788.
FAQ
Koebele surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koebele?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Koebele. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Koebele?
Koebele ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Koebele. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Koebele.
Has Koebele become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koebele went from 109 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 10 (+9.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Koebele?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koebele, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Koebele in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koebele appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Koebele (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 Koebele mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Köbel" meaning a small wooden bucket or tub. 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 Koebele (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 common is the surname Koebele?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Koebele, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.