2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Koehly
Of German origin meaning "cabbage" or "vegetable grower".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Koehly. 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 Koehly 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 Koehly 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 Koehly, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koehly
The surname Koehly is of German origin, originating in the medieval period. It is derived from the German word "Kohle," meaning "coal" or "charcoal." The name likely originated as an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked with charcoal or in a related profession, such as a charcoal burner or a blacksmith.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Koehly can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany. In historical records, the name appears with various spellings, including Kohli, Kohly, and Köhly, reflecting regional variations and the evolution of the German language over time.
One of the earliest known mentions of the name Koehly can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicle, a historical work published in 1493, which references a prominent Koehly family in the city of Nuremberg. This suggests that the name had already established itself as a recognized surname by the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name Koehly appears in the records of the German city of Augsburg, where a notable individual named Hans Koehly (c. 1520-1585) was a respected goldsmith and jeweler. His work was highly regarded, and he crafted pieces for nobility and wealthy patrons across Europe.
Another significant figure bearing the surname Koehly was Johann Koehly (1670-1732), a German composer and organist who was active in the early 18th century. He is known for his contributions to the development of the German organ school and his compositions for church and secular occasions.
In the 19th century, a notable Koehly was the German writer and poet Wilhelm Koehly (1818-1892), who gained recognition for his romantic poetry and novels. His works often explored themes of nature, love, and the human condition, reflecting the literary movements of his time.
The surname Koehly has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Koehldorf and Koehlerhof, which may have influenced the origin or spread of the name in certain regions.
Throughout history, the Koehly surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, musicians, writers, and others who have contributed to the cultural and economic fabric of their communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koehly
Among Census respondents with the surname Koehly, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Koehly 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 Koehly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 9
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koehly
Koehly 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,026 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,355 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,026 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 5,355 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 Koehly 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 | #141,140 | #146,495 | -3.8% |
| Count | 118 | 114 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koehly bearers went from 118 to 114 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 5,355 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #146,495.
FAQ
Koehly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koehly?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Koehly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Koehly?
Koehly 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 Koehly. 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 Koehly.
Has Koehly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koehly went from 118 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Koehly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koehly, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) 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 Koehly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koehly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (7.9%), 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 Koehly (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 Koehly mean?
Of German origin meaning "cabbage" or "vegetable grower". 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 Koehly (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 surname Koehly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.