2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Koene
A Dutch surname derived from a Middle Dutch word meaning "bold" or "courageous."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Koene. 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 Koene 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 Koene 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 Koene, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.3%) and Black (8.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koene
The surname Koene originated in the Netherlands, with its earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "koen," which means "brave" or "bold." This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who displayed these qualities.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Koene appeared in various Dutch records and documents, including baptismal registers and tax rolls. One notable early mention is in the 1624 census of Amsterdam, where a family by the name of Koene is listed as residing in the city.
The Koene surname has also been linked to certain place names within the Netherlands. For instance, there is a village called Koningsbosch in the province of Limburg, which was formerly known as "Koenes Bosch" (Koene's Forest). This connection could indicate that some early bearers of the name may have hailed from or had ties to this region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Koene was Adriaen Koene, a Dutch painter born in Amsterdam in 1597. His works, primarily landscapes and seascapes, can be found in various museums across Europe.
Another notable figure was Jan Koene (1614-1667), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings and genre scenes depicting everyday life in the Netherlands.
In the 18th century, Dirk Koene (1732-1801) was a prominent Dutch lawyer and politician who served as the mayor of Amsterdam from 1778 to 1795.
The 19th century saw the birth of Pieter Koene (1837-1904), a Dutch botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia).
More recently, Gerrit Koene (1916-2004) was a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II, known for his efforts in helping Jewish citizens escape Nazi persecution.
These examples illustrate the long and varied history of the Koene surname, spanning multiple centuries and encompassing individuals from various walks of life, including artists, politicians, scientists, and resistance fighters.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koene
Among Census respondents with the surname Koene, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.3%) and Black (8.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Koene 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 Koene surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.1% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino12.3% · 14
- Black or African American8.8% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koene
Koene 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
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,852 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,852 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 Koene 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 | #148,347 | #146,495 | 1.2% |
| Count | 111 | 114 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koene bearers went from 111 to 114 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,852 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #146,495.
FAQ
Koene surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koene?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Koene. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Koene?
Koene 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 Koene. 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 Koene.
Has Koene become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koene went from 111 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Koene?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koene, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.3%) and Black (8.8%). 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 Koene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.1% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koene appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.1%), Hispanic (12.3%), Black (8.8%). 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 Koene (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 Koene mean?
A Dutch surname derived from a Middle Dutch word meaning "bold" or "courageous." 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 Koene (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 Koene?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.