2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Koeber
A surname derived from an occupational name referring to a cooper or barrel maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Koeber. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koeber 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Koeber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koeber, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koeber
The surname KOEBER is of German origin, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 13th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. The name is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "Kuobo," meaning a small tub or barrel, suggesting that the original bearers of the name may have been coopers or barrel makers by trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KOEBER surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a compilation of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Henricus Kuobere" is mentioned in a land transaction dated 1289. This provides evidence of the name's existence and its early spelling variations.
In the 15th century, records show a Johannes KOEBER from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, who served as a prominent merchant and guild member. His descendants continued to play influential roles in the region's trade and civic affairs for generations.
During the 16th century, the KOEBER name gained further recognition with the birth of Matthias KOEBER (1518-1587), a renowned German humanist and educator who served as the rector of the prestigious Schola Paulina in Leipzig. His contributions to the field of education and his scholarly works on classical literature left a lasting impact on the intellectual landscape of the time.
Another notable figure bearing the KOEBER surname was Johann Friedrich KOEBER (1668-1719), a German jurist and legal scholar from Saxony. His treatises on Roman law and civil procedure were widely studied and cited by legal professionals across Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the realm of the arts, the KOEBER name is associated with the German painter and engraver Johann Joseph KOEBER (1737-1799), whose works depicting landscapes and historical scenes were highly regarded during the Baroque period. His etchings and engravings can be found in the collections of various museums and galleries throughout Europe.
As the KOEBER family spread across different regions of Germany over the centuries, the name underwent slight variations in spelling, such as KÖBER, KOBER, and KOBERT. However, the core pronunciation and meaning remained consistent, reflecting the name's rich heritage and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koeber
Among Census respondents with the surname Koeber, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Koeber 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 Koeber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 108
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koeber
Koeber 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-7 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,072 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-14 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,418 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 13,072 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 14,418 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 Koeber 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 | #130,610 | #145,028 | -11.0% |
| Count | 130 | 116 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koeber bearers went from 130 to 116 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 14,418 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #145,028.
FAQ
Koeber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koeber?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Koeber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Koeber?
Koeber ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Koeber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Koeber.
Has Koeber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koeber went from 130 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Koeber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koeber, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Black (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 Koeber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koeber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Black (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 Koeber (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 Koeber mean?
A surname derived from an occupational name referring to a cooper or barrel maker. 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 Koeber (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 Americans have the surname Koeber?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.