2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kohlmyer
A German surname derived from a place name with elements meaning "coal" and "farm" or "plantation."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Kohlmyer. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kohlmyer 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Kohlmyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohlmyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kohlmyer
The surname KOHLMYER is of German origin, originating in the medieval period. It is a combination of the German words "kohl," meaning cabbage or cole, and "myer," likely derived from the word "meier," meaning a steward or farm manager. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person responsible for the cultivation or management of cabbage crops.
KOHLMYER is believed to have roots in various regions of Germany, particularly in areas with a strong agricultural tradition. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 15th and 16th centuries in various German records and documents, although the exact dates and locations remain uncertain.
One notable historical figure with the surname KOHLMYER was Johann Kohlmyer, a German theologian and philosopher born in 1647. He was a prominent scholar of his time and authored several works on religious and philosophical topics.
In the 17th century, a branch of the KOHLMYER family settled in the United States, with records indicating their presence in Pennsylvania as early as the late 1600s. One of the earliest documented individuals was Hans Kohlmyer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1685.
Another noteworthy KOHLMYER was Wilhelm Kohlmyer, a German artist and painter born in 1815. He was known for his landscape paintings and his works are displayed in various museums across Germany.
During the 19th century, the surname KOHLMYER continued to spread across different regions of the United States, with several variations in spelling emerging, such as KOHLMEYER and KOLMEYER. One prominent figure from this era was Samuel Kohlmyer, a businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Philadelphia from 1849 to 1853.
As the KOHLMYER name spread across different regions and cultures, it underwent various spellings and adaptations, reflecting the linguistic influences of the areas where the family settled. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in its German agricultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kohlmyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohlmyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kohlmyer 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 Kohlmyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 90
- Two or more races4.0% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kohlmyer
Kohlmyer 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
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-16 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,864 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 11,864 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 Kohlmyer 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 | #144,141 | #156,005 | -8.2% |
| Count | 115 | 99 | -13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kohlmyer bearers went from 115 to 99 (-13.9% change). The surname moved down 11,864 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #156,005.
FAQ
Kohlmyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kohlmyer?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Kohlmyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Kohlmyer?
Kohlmyer ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Kohlmyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kohlmyer.
Has Kohlmyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kohlmyer went from 115 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Kohlmyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohlmyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kohlmyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kohlmyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Kohlmyer (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 Kohlmyer mean?
A German surname derived from a place name with elements meaning "coal" and "farm" or "plantation." 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 Kohlmyer (0.03 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 Kohlmyer?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Kohlmyer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.