Find out how popular the last name Koehn is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Koehn.

Koehn, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Koehn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Koehn in America

Koehn is the 3711th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Koehn surname appeared 9,559 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Koehn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Koehn to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Koehn

The surname Koehn is of German origin, derived from the Low German word "Kone" or "Kohne," which means "audacious" or "brave." It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in Lower Saxony and Westphalia, during the late medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Koehn can be found in the Wappenbuch der westfälischen Ritterschaft (Book of Arms of the Westphalian Knighthood) from the 16th century, where the Koehn family was listed among the noble families of Westphalia. Additionally, the name appears in various church records and local historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in towns such as Münster, Osnabrück, and Bielefeld.

In the 18th century, the Koehn surname can be traced to the town of Petershagen, located in the present-day state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Johann Koehn (1715-1791), a respected merchant and landowner, is noted as one of the earliest prominent members of the family from this region.

During the 19th century, the Koehn family expanded their presence across various parts of Germany. Notable individuals from this period include Friedrich Koehn (1821-1892), a renowned architect who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin, and Wilhelm Koehn (1847-1919), a respected jurist and legal scholar.

As the 20th century dawned, the Koehn surname continued to gain prominence. Hermann Koehn (1888-1963), a German politician and member of the Nazi Party, served as the Minister of the Interior for Prussia from 1933 to 1934. On the other hand, Otto Koehn (1910-1998), a German-American artist and educator, was known for his contributions to the field of modern art and his teachings at various universities in the United States.

While the Koehn surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, the name's historical significance remains firmly tied to its German origins and the various individuals who have carried it throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Koehn

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Koehn.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Koehn was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Koehn has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Koehn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Koehn, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!