2000
#3,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,700
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.23
Uncommon Last name
Koehn
A German occupational surname referring to someone who makes or sells boats or barrels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,182 Americans carry the last name Koehn. That puts it at #3,566 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koehn 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
11K
1 in 30,652
Census rank
#3,566
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,751 bearers of the surname Koehn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3566th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koehn, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 Additionally, the name appears in various church records and local historical documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in towns such as Münster, Osnabrück, and Bielefeld.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koehn
Among Census respondents with the surname Koehn, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Koehn 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 Koehn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 9,197
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 251
- Two or more races2.0% · 199
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 60
- Black or African American0.2% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koehn
Koehn 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
#3,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,559
+859 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 3.24
Rank movement Up 32 places
2020
#3,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,751
+192 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 3.26
Rank movement Up 145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,743 | 8,700 | 3.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,711 | 9,559 | 3.24 | +859 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 32 places |
| 2020 | #3,566 | 9,751 | 3.26 | +192 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 145 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 Koehn 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 | #3,711 | #3,566 | 3.9% |
| Count | 9,559 | 9,751 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.24 | 3.26 | 0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koehn bearers went from 9,559 to 9,751 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 145 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,711 to #3,566.
FAQ
Koehn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koehn?
Name Census estimates that about 11,182 living Americans carry the surname Koehn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,652 residents.
How common is Koehn?
Koehn ranks #3,566 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,751 people with the surname Koehn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,182), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Koehn.
Has Koehn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koehn went from 9,559 recorded bearers to 9,751. That is an increase of 192 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,711 to #3,566.
What does the Census say about the background of Koehn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koehn, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Koehn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (9,197 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koehn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Koehn (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 Koehn mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who makes or sells boats or barrels. 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 Koehn (3.26 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 Koehn?
Want to know how many people are called Koehn? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.