2000
#8,841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,409
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.26
Rare Last name
Koger
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of kogels, a type of medieval German hat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,894 Americans carry the last name Koger. That puts it at #9,219 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,021 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koger 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
3.9K
1 in 88,021
Census rank
#9,219
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,396 bearers of the surname Koger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9219th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koger, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koger
The surname KOGER has its origins in Germany and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Kocher," which referred to a cook or a brewer. The earliest known spelling variations of the name include Koger, Koeger, Koecher, and Köcher.
In the late 13th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany. One notable early reference is found in the Rothenburg City Records of 1294, which mentions a certain Hans Koger, a brewer from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
The first known person to bear the surname KOGER was Konrad Koger, born around 1320 in Nuremberg, Germany. He was a prominent baker and owned a successful bakery in the city. Another early bearer of the name was Albrecht Koger, born in 1375 in Augsburg, Germany, who was a renowned brewer and tavern owner.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the KOGER family spread throughout various regions of Germany, and the name became associated with several place names, such as Kogershausen and Kogersheim. In the town of Kogersheim, located in the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany, the name KOGER was particularly prevalent.
One notable figure from this era was Johann Koger, born in 1492 in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, who was a respected scholar and author of several treatises on brewing techniques and beer production. His works were highly influential in the development of the German brewing industry.
Another prominent individual was Hans Koger, born in 1533 in Augsburg, who was a master baker and a respected member of the local baker's guild. He is credited with introducing several innovative baking techniques and recipes that became widely popular in the region.
As the KOGER family continued to grow and spread across Germany, the name became associated with various occupations and professions, not just those related to cooking and brewing. By the 17th and 18th centuries, the name could be found among merchants, artisans, and even noblemen.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koger
Among Census respondents with the surname Koger, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Koger 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 Koger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.5% · 2,393
- Black or African American21.6% · 734
- Two or more races4.2% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koger
Koger 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
#8,944
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,660
+251 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 103 places
2020
#9,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,396
-264 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 275 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,841 | 3,409 | 1.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,944 | 3,660 | 1.24 | +251 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 103 places |
| 2020 | #9,219 | 3,396 | 1.14 | -264 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 275 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 Koger 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 | #8,944 | #9,219 | -3.1% |
| Count | 3,660 | 3,396 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.14 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koger bearers went from 3,660 to 3,396 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 275 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,944 to #9,219.
FAQ
Koger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koger?
Name Census estimates that about 3,894 living Americans carry the surname Koger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,021 residents.
How common is Koger?
Koger ranks #9,219 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,396 people with the surname Koger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,894), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Koger.
Has Koger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koger went from 3,660 recorded bearers to 3,396. That is a decrease of 264 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,944 to #9,219.
What does the Census say about the background of Koger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koger, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.5%. The next largest groups are Black (21.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Koger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.5% (2,393 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.5%), Black (21.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Koger (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 Koger mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of kogels, a type of medieval German hat. 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 Koger (1.14 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 share the surname Koger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.