2000
#2,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,477
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.11
Uncommon Last name
Kohler
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "kolære," meaning "charcoal burner."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,608 Americans carry the last name Kohler. That puts it at #2,183 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,420 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kohler 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 Kohler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,420
Census rank
#2,183
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,227 bearers of the surname Kohler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2183rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kohler
The surname Kohler originated in Germany, first appearing in records as early as the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "kohler," which means a charcoal burner or collier. This occupation was essential in medieval times when charcoal was the primary fuel source for heating and metalworking.
The name Kohler can be traced back to various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Silesia. It is believed that the earliest bearers of the name were individuals who worked as charcoal burners or lived near areas where charcoal was produced.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Kohler can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, dating back to 1285. This document refers to a certain "Cunradus Koler," suggesting that the name had already been established by that time.
In the 14th century, the name Kohler appeared in various cities and towns across Germany, such as Nuremberg, Augsburg, and Leipzig. Some notable individuals bearing the name during this period include Johannes Kohler, a merchant from Nuremberg (1349-1412), and Hans Kohler, a craftsman from Augsburg (1376-1442).
As the name spread throughout Germany, various spelling variations emerged, including Koehler, Köhler, and Koegler. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciations.
In the 16th century, the name Kohler gained prominence with the rise of the Reformation movement. One of the most notable figures was Johann Kohler (1518-1572), a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Saxony, who played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in Germany.
Another notable bearer of the name was Johann David Kohler (1684-1755), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Göttingen. His work, "Corpus Juris Cambialis," published in 1719, became a highly influential treatise on commercial law.
As people migrated across Europe and beyond, the surname Kohler spread to other regions, including Switzerland, France, and eventually to the Americas. Some famous individuals with the name Kohler include Gustav Kohler (1819-1892), a Swiss politician and President of the Swiss Confederation, and John Michael Kohler (1844-1900), the founder of the Kohler Company, a leading manufacturer of plumbing products based in Wisconsin, USA.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kohler
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kohler 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 Kohler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 14,869
- Two or more races3.4% · 549
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 525
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 155
- Black or African American0.4% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 61
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kohler
Kohler 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
#2,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,686
+209 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 5.66
Rank movement Down 159 places
2020
#2,183
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,227
-459 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 5.43
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,018 | 16,477 | 6.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,177 | 16,686 | 5.66 | +209 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 159 places |
| 2020 | #2,183 | 16,227 | 5.43 | -459 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 6 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 Kohler 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 | #2,177 | #2,183 | -0.3% |
| Count | 16,686 | 16,227 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.66 | 5.43 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kohler bearers went from 16,686 to 16,227 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,177 to #2,183.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kohler
FAQ
Kohler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kohler?
Name Census estimates that about 18,608 living Americans carry the surname Kohler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,420 residents.
How common is Kohler?
Kohler ranks #2,183 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,227 people with the surname Kohler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,608), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Kohler.
Has Kohler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kohler went from 16,686 recorded bearers to 16,227. That is a decrease of 459 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,177 to #2,183.
What does the Census say about the background of Kohler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Kohler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (14,869 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kohler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Kohler (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 Kohler mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "kolære," meaning "charcoal burner." 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 Kohler (5.43 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 last name Kohler?
See how many people are called Kohler on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.