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

Koelsch, 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 Koelsch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Koelsch in America

Koelsch is the 24531st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Koelsch surname appeared 1,019 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Koelsch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Koelsch 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 Koelsch

The surname KOELSCH has its origins in Germany, and it is believed to have emerged during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "Koels," which means "a small river or stream." This suggests that the name likely originated in a region where a small river or stream was a prominent geographical feature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KOELSCH can be found in the Annals of the Teutonic Knights, a historical chronicle documenting the activities of the Teutonic Order in the 13th century. The name appears in a record dated 1267, referring to a knight named Heinrich von KOELSCH.

In the 14th century, the name KOELSCH was also documented in the city records of Cologne, where it was associated with a family that owned land along the banks of the River Rhine. This suggests that the name may have been originally used to denote a person's connection to a specific location or waterway.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name KOELSCH gained prominence in various regions of Germany, including the Rhineland, Westphalia, and parts of Saxony. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include Johann KOELSCH, a prominent merchant and banker from Aachen, who lived from 1540 to 1612, and Hans KOELSCH, a renowned clockmaker from Nuremberg, who was active in the late 16th century.

As the centuries progressed, the name KOELSCH spread across Europe, with variations in spelling emerging in different regions. In the Netherlands, for instance, the name was recorded as "Koelsche," while in parts of France, it appeared as "Coelsch."

Among the notable individuals with the surname KOELSCH in more recent history are:

1. Wilhelm KOELSCH (1817-1887), a German-born industrialist and philanthropist who founded the KOELSCH Manufacturing Company in the United States.
2. Johanna KOELSCH (1858-1924), a German author and feminist activist known for her advocacy of women's rights.
3. Kurt KOELSCH (1892-1972), a German composer and music theorist who made significant contributions to the field of atonal music.
4. Margarete KOELSCH (1901-1987), a German-American artist renowned for her abstract expressionist paintings.
5. Hans KOELSCH (1914-2003), a German-born architect who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the United Nations Headquarters.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Koelsch

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

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 Koelsch 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 Koelsch 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 Koelsch was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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