2000
#10,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,893
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Koh
A Chinese surname derived from the state of Xu, meaning "great" or "high."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,703 Americans carry the last name Koh. That puts it at #7,767 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,880 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koh 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Koh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 72,880
Census rank
#7,767
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,101 bearers of the surname Koh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7767th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koh
The surname KOH has its origins in China, with the earliest known records dating back to the 6th century CE. It is believed to be derived from the Mandarin Chinese words "ke" and "hu," which translates to "guest" and "living," respectively. This suggests that the name may have been given to families who were known for their hospitality or for providing lodging to travelers.
One of the earliest known references to the KOH surname can be found in the Tang Dynasty archives, where a merchant named KOH Zhi-yuan is mentioned as having established a successful trade route between Chang'an (modern-day Xi'an) and the Silk Road cities in Central Asia. This suggests that the name was already well-established among the merchant class by the 7th century.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), the KOH surname gained prominence in the southern regions of China, particularly in the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian. Several notable scholars and officials bore this name, including KOH Qian (1023-1094), a renowned philosopher and author of the treatise "On the Cultivation of the Mind."
As the KOH family spread across China, the name took on various regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. In the coastal regions of Fujian, for instance, it was sometimes written as "Kho" or "Kau," while in the northern provinces, it was more commonly spelled as "Koh" or "Ko."
One of the most famous individuals with the KOH surname was KOH Shun-chen (1592-1671), a celebrated artist and calligrapher who served as a court painter during the Ming Dynasty. His works are still highly regarded today and can be found in museums across China and Taiwan.
Another notable figure was KOH Tsu-tsung (1630-1716), a renowned scholar and mathematician who made significant contributions to the development of Chinese algebra and trigonometry. His work, "The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art," became a standard textbook for generations of students.
In the 19th century, the KOH surname gained international recognition with the exploits of KOH Ah Keng (1835-1901), a prominent Chinese merchant and community leader in Singapore. He founded one of the city's earliest Chinese temples and played a pivotal role in promoting Chinese culture and education in the region.
While the KOH surname has its roots in China, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with notable bearers in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, and the United States. However, its rich history and cultural significance remain deeply rooted in its Chinese origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koh
Among Census respondents with the surname Koh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Koh 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 Koh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander87.0% · 3,569
- White5.0% · 204
- Two or more races5.0% · 204
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 106
- Black or African American0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koh
Koh 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
#9,090
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,595
+702 bearers (+24.3%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Up 1,136 places
2020
#7,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,101
+506 bearers (+14.1%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 1,323 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,226 | 2,893 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,090 | 3,595 | 1.22 | +702 bearers (+24.3%) | Up 1,136 places |
| 2020 | #7,767 | 4,101 | 1.37 | +506 bearers (+14.1%) | Up 1,323 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 Koh 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 | #9,090 | #7,767 | 14.6% |
| Count | 3,595 | 4,101 | 14.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.37 | 12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koh bearers went from 3,595 to 4,101 (+14.1% change). The surname moved up 1,323 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,090 to #7,767.
FAQ
Koh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koh?
Name Census estimates that about 4,703 living Americans carry the surname Koh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,880 residents.
How common is Koh?
Koh ranks #7,767 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,101 people with the surname Koh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,703), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Koh.
Has Koh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koh went from 3,595 recorded bearers to 4,101. That is an increase of 506 (+14.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,090 to #7,767.
What does the Census say about the background of Koh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Koh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (3,569 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (87.0%), White (5.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Koh (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 Koh mean?
A Chinese surname derived from the state of Xu, meaning "great" or "high." 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 Koh (1.37 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 Koh?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.