2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Koehring
A German surname derived from Kohren, a place name meaning "charcoal burner" or "charcoal maker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Koehring. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koehring 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Koehring in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koehring, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koehring
The surname Koehring is of German origin, originating in the region of Prussia during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "koering," which referred to a person who worked with or produced ropes or cords.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 14th century, with references found in various municipal records and church registries from towns and villages across northern Germany. One notable early occurrence is in the Lübeck City Archives from 1387, which mentions a "Johannes Koehring" as a resident of the city.
In the 16th century, the name began to spread beyond its initial regional confines, with bearers of the Koehring surname appearing in various parts of the Holy Roman Empire. During this time, variations in spelling emerged, including Köhring, Kœring, and Kohringe.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Koehring surname was Hans Koehring, a master craftsman and rope maker born in Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) in 1521. His work was highly regarded, and he is mentioned in several guild records from the time.
Another notable figure was Johann Koehring, a Lutheran theologian and philosopher who lived from 1640 to 1720. He taught at the University of Rostock and published several influential works on theology and ethics.
In the 18th century, the Koehring name appeared in various military records, with several men bearing the surname serving in the armies of Prussia and other German states. One such individual was Friedrich Koehring, a Prussian officer who fought in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).
As the 19th century dawned, the Koehring surname continued to be found across various regions of Germany, with pockets of concentration in areas such as Saxony and Silesia. During this period, some bearers of the name began to emigrate to other parts of the world, including the United States and Canada.
One prominent American with the Koehring surname was Robert Koehring, an industrialist born in Saxony in 1855. He founded the Koehring Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which became a leading manufacturer of construction equipment and machinery.
Throughout its history, the Koehring surname has been associated with various occupations, from skilled artisans and tradesmen to academics, military personnel, and entrepreneurs. While its roots can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koehring
Among Census respondents with the surname Koehring, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Koehring 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 Koehring surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koehring
Koehring appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,441 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 10,441 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 Koehring 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 | #143,149 | #153,590 | -7.3% |
| Count | 116 | 104 | -10.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koehring bearers went from 116 to 104 (-10.3% change). The surname moved down 10,441 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #153,590.
FAQ
Koehring surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koehring?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Koehring. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Koehring?
Koehring ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Koehring. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Koehring.
Has Koehring become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koehring went from 116 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Koehring?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koehring, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%). 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 Koehring in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koehring appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (2.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%). 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 Koehring (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 Koehring mean?
A German surname derived from Kohren, a place name meaning "charcoal burner" or "charcoal 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 Koehring (0.03 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 Koehring?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Koehring at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.