2000
#17,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,503
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Kohli
A surname of Indian origin, derived from the Koli caste, traditionally associated with fishing and ferrying.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,165 Americans carry the last name Kohli. That puts it at #11,003 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,295 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kohli 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 Kohli with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,295
Census rank
#11,003
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,760 bearers of the surname Kohli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11003rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohli, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.0%. The next largest groups are White (22.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kohli
The surname Kohli is of Indian origin, specifically from the Punjab region of northern India. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Koh,' which means 'mountain,' and 'li' or 'lee,' meaning 'dweller.' Therefore, the name Kohli translates to 'a person who lives in or near the mountains.'
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kohli can be traced back to the 16th century in various historical records and manuscripts from the Punjab region. Some of the earliest known individuals with the surname Kohli include Bhai Mati Das Kohli (1661-1675), a Sikh martyr who was executed for refusing to convert to Islam during the Mughal rule, and Bhai Dayala Kohli (17th century), a renowned Sikh scholar and poet.
The name Kohli has been associated with various place names in the Punjab region, such as Kohli village in the Gurdaspur district and Kohli Khurd village in the Hoshiarpur district. These place names likely originated from the surname itself, indicating areas where families with the Kohli surname resided.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Kohli. One of the most famous is Khushwant Singh Kohli (1915-2014), an Indian novelist, lawyer, and journalist who was widely regarded as one of the finest English writers in India. Another prominent figure is Raghunath Vaidya Kohli (1898-1981), an Indian freedom fighter and politician who served as a member of the Constituent Assembly that drafted India's constitution.
Other significant individuals with the surname Kohli include Sunil Kohli (1942-2022), a renowned Indian actor and playwright known for his work in Hindi theater and films, and Ajay Kohli (born 1954), an Indian businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the multinational technology company HCL Technologies.
It is worth noting that the surname Kohli is not limited to a specific region or community in India. While it has its roots in the Punjab region, families with this surname can be found in various parts of the country and even among the Indian diaspora around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kohli
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohli, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.0%. The next largest groups are White (22.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Kohli 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 Kohli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander72.0% · 1,986
- White22.8% · 628
- Two or more races3.2% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 43
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kohli
Kohli 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
#14,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,150
+647 bearers (+43.0%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 3,328 places
2020
#11,003
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,760
+610 bearers (+28.4%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Up 3,003 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,334 | 1,503 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,006 | 2,150 | 0.73 | +647 bearers (+43.0%) | Up 3,328 places |
| 2020 | #11,003 | 2,760 | 0.92 | +610 bearers (+28.4%) | Up 3,003 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 Kohli 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 | #14,006 | #11,003 | 21.4% |
| Count | 2,150 | 2,760 | 28.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.92 | 26.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kohli bearers went from 2,150 to 2,760 (+28.4% change). The surname moved up 3,003 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,006 to #11,003.
FAQ
Kohli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kohli?
Name Census estimates that about 3,165 living Americans carry the surname Kohli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,295 residents.
How common is Kohli?
Kohli ranks #11,003 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 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 2,760 people with the surname Kohli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 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 Kohli.
Has Kohli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kohli went from 2,150 recorded bearers to 2,760. That is an increase of 610 (+28.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,006 to #11,003.
What does the Census say about the background of Kohli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohli, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.0%. The next largest groups are White (22.8%) and Two or More Races (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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kohli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.0% (1,986 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kohli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (72.0%), White (22.8%), Two or More Races (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 Kohli (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 Kohli mean?
A surname of Indian origin, derived from the Koli caste, traditionally associated with fishing and ferrying. 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 Kohli (0.92 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 Kohli?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Kohli at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.