2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Koehling
A German surname derived from the word "Köhler" meaning charcoal burner or collier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Koehling. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koehling 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Koehling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koehling, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koehling
The surname Koehling is of German origin, derived from the occupation of a charcoal burner or collier. It is believed to have originated in the 16th or 17th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the forested areas where charcoal burning was a common trade.
The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Kohler," which means charcoal burner or charcoal maker. Over time, the spelling evolved to include variations such as Koehling, Köhling, and Kohling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Koehling can be found in the church records of Saxony, Germany, from the late 16th century. These records mention individuals with the surname Koehling residing in various villages and towns across the region.
In the 17th century, a prominent individual named Hans Koehling was a respected charcoal burner in the town of Freiberg, Saxony. His skills in producing high-quality charcoal were widely recognized, and he supplied numerous metal smelters in the area.
During the 18th century, the Koehling family expanded their presence across Germany, with some members migrating to other parts of Europe and even as far as North America. One notable figure from this period was Johann Koehling, a scholar and philosopher who lived from 1720 to 1788 and authored several treatises on ethics and moral philosophy.
In the 19th century, a German immigrant named Friedrich Koehling settled in Pennsylvania, United States, and established a successful farming business. His descendants went on to become prominent members of the local community, contributing to various industries and professions.
Another notable individual with the surname Koehling was Karl Koehling, a German architect who lived from 1858 to 1932. He was renowned for his innovative designs and was responsible for the construction of several iconic buildings in Berlin and other German cities.
Throughout history, the Koehling surname has been associated with various occupations, including charcoal burners, farmers, scholars, architects, and professionals in various fields. While the name has evolved over time, its roots can be traced back to the humble beginnings of charcoal production in the forests of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koehling
Among Census respondents with the surname Koehling, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Koehling 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 Koehling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koehling
Koehling 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+9 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 612 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-9 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,046 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 612 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 10,046 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 Koehling 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 | #136,449 | #146,495 | -7.4% |
| Count | 123 | 114 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koehling bearers went from 123 to 114 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 10,046 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #146,495.
FAQ
Koehling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koehling?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Koehling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Koehling?
Koehling ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Koehling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Koehling.
Has Koehling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koehling went from 123 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Koehling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koehling, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Koehling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koehling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Hispanic (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Koehling (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 Koehling mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Köhler" meaning charcoal burner or collier. 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 Koehling (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 Koehling?
See how many people have the last name Koehling on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.