2000
#4,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,036
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.61
Rare Last name
Koester
A German occupational surname referring to a sexton or churchwarden, derived from the German word "Küster."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,643 Americans carry the last name Koester. That puts it at #5,099 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,846 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koester 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
7.6K
1 in 44,846
Census rank
#5,099
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,665 bearers of the surname Koester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5099th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koester, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koester
The surname Koester is derived from the German language and originated in the region of Germany and surrounding areas. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
One theory suggests that the name Koester is derived from the Old German word "kosten," meaning "to taste" or "to sample." This could indicate that the name was initially associated with an occupation related to food tasting or sampling, such as a vintner or a cook.
Another possibility is that the name is derived from the Old German word "kost," which means "food" or "nourishment." This could suggest that the name was originally connected to individuals involved in the production, preparation, or distribution of food.
In terms of historical references, the earliest recorded mention of the name Koester can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around the 14th century. This document mentions a person named "Henricus Koster" from the town of Spandau, near Berlin.
One notable individual with the surname Koester was Johannes Koester, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1518 to 1597. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and played a significant role in the spread of Lutheranism in Germany.
Another person of historical significance was Bernhard Koester, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1642 to 1698. He is known for his intricate etchings and engravings depicting biblical scenes and landscapes.
In the 18th century, Johann Koester, a German philologist and classical scholar, made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Latin literature. He lived from 1708 to 1778 and served as a professor at various universities in Germany.
Moving to the 19th century, Carl Koester was a German-American artist and lithographer who lived from 1818 to 1892. He is renowned for his detailed lithographs depicting scenes from the American Civil War and the American West.
Lastly, it's worth mentioning Friedrich Koester, a German-American architect who lived from 1834 to 1912. He designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Steinway Hall and the former New York Stock Exchange Building.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koester
Among Census respondents with the surname Koester, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Koester 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 Koester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 6,239
- Two or more races2.8% · 187
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 156
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 54
- Black or African American0.4% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koester
Koester 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
#4,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,380
+344 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Down 180 places
2020
#5,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,665
-715 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Down 310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,609 | 7,036 | 2.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,789 | 7,380 | 2.50 | +344 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 180 places |
| 2020 | #5,099 | 6,665 | 2.23 | -715 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 310 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 Koester 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 | #4,789 | #5,099 | -6.5% |
| Count | 7,380 | 6,665 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.50 | 2.23 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koester bearers went from 7,380 to 6,665 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 310 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,789 to #5,099.
FAQ
Koester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koester?
Name Census estimates that about 7,643 living Americans carry the surname Koester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,846 residents.
How common is Koester?
Koester ranks #5,099 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,665 people with the surname Koester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,643), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Koester.
Has Koester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koester went from 7,380 recorded bearers to 6,665. That is a decrease of 715 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,789 to #5,099.
What does the Census say about the background of Koester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koester, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Koester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (6,239 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Koester (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 Koester mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a sexton or churchwarden, derived from the German word "Küster." 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 Koester (2.23 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 are called Koester?
If you just want to know how common the surname Koester is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.