2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Kohlhofer
Germansurname derived from the name of the occupation of a coal burner or charcoal maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Kohlhofer. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kohlhofer 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Kohlhofer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohlhofer, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kohlhofer
The surname Kohlhofer originated in Germany, likely during the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the German words "kohl," meaning cabbage, and "hofer," which refers to a person who lived near or worked on a farm or homestead. Therefore, the name Kohlhofer likely referred to someone who grew or sold cabbages or worked on a farm where cabbages were cultivated.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kohlhofer can be traced back to various regions in southern Germany, such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Alternative spellings from those early times include Kohlhöfer, Kolhofer, and Colhofer.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Kohlhofer was Hans Kohlhofer, a farmer who lived in the village of Oberammergau, Bavaria, in the late 15th century. Records from the local church indicate that he was born around 1470 and died in 1542.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the name Kohlhofer was Matthias Kohlhofer, a scholar and theologian from Augsburg, Bavaria. He was born in 1508 and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation, advocating for the teachings of Martin Luther.
During the 17th century, the Kohlhofer surname appeared in various records across southern Germany, including court documents and trade guild registers. One such individual was Johann Georg Kohlhofer, a merchant and guild master from Ulm, who lived from 1620 to 1688.
In the 18th century, the name Kohlhofer gained recognition through the works of Johann Baptist Kohlhofer, a renowned sculptor and woodcarver from Rottenburg am Neckar, Baden-Württemberg. He was born in 1735 and is known for his intricate altarpieces and church decorations in the Baroque style.
Another notable figure with the Kohlhofer surname was Friedrich Wilhelm Kohlhofer, a German military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1783 in Stuttgart and rose to the rank of Colonel in the Württemberg army, participating in several campaigns against the French forces.
The name Kohlhofer continued to be prevalent in various regions of southern Germany throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, with many families still bearing this surname today. However, due to migration and the effects of historical events, the name has also spread to other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kohlhofer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohlhofer, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kohlhofer 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 Kohlhofer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kohlhofer
Kohlhofer 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
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+19 bearers (+19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 18,187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+19.0%) | Up 18,187 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 Kohlhofer 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 | #160,975 | #142,788 | 11.3% |
| Count | 100 | 119 | 19.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 32.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kohlhofer bearers went from 100 to 119 (+19.0% change). The surname moved up 18,187 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #142,788.
FAQ
Kohlhofer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kohlhofer?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Kohlhofer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Kohlhofer?
Kohlhofer ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Kohlhofer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Kohlhofer.
Has Kohlhofer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kohlhofer went from 100 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 19 (+19.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Kohlhofer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohlhofer, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) 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 Kohlhofer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kohlhofer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (4.2%), 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 Kohlhofer (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 Kohlhofer mean?
Germansurname derived from the name of the occupation of a coal burner or charcoal maker. 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 Kohlhofer (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 share the surname Kohlhofer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.