2000
#13,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,000
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Kohls
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the Germanic word "kohl," referring to cabbage or someone who grew or sold cabbage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,420 Americans carry the last name Kohls. That puts it at #13,739 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,634 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kohls 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
2.4K
1 in 141,634
Census rank
#13,739
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,110 bearers of the surname Kohls in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13739th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohls, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kohls
The surname KOHLS is of German origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "kohle," which means "coal" or "charcoal." This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked with coal or charcoal, such as a coal miner or a charcoal burner.
In its earliest recorded forms, the surname appeared as "Kohle" or "Kohler" in various regions of Germany. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, where a certain "Hans Kohler" was mentioned in 1387.
The surname KOHLS also has connections to various place names in Germany. For example, there is a town called Kohle in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and another town called Kohlberg in the state of Baden-Württemberg. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname KOHLS. One of the earliest was Johann Peter Kohls (1746-1818), a German botanist and explorer who traveled extensively in Russia and Siberia. Another notable figure was Friedrich Kohls (1849-1929), a German architect and urban planner who was influential in the development of modern city planning.
In the 19th century, the name KOHLS gained prominence in the United States due to the immigration of German families. One famous American with this surname was Walter J. Kohls (1887-1962), who founded the department store chain Kohl's Corporation in Wisconsin in 1927.
Another notable American was Rudolf Kohls (1907-1997), a mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis and was a pioneer in the development of electronic computers.
A more recent figure with the surname KOHLS was Johann Kohls (1935-2019), a German composer and conductor who was known for his work in contemporary classical music.
Overall, the surname KOHLS has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including scientists, architects, entrepreneurs, and artists, spanning multiple centuries and countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kohls
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohls, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kohls 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 Kohls surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 1,987
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 49
- Two or more races2.1% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 20
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kohls
Kohls 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
#14,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,110
+110 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 365 places
2020
#13,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,110
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 481 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,855 | 2,000 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,220 | 2,110 | 0.72 | +110 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 365 places |
| 2020 | #13,739 | 2,110 | 0.71 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 481 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 Kohls 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 | #14,220 | #13,739 | 3.4% |
| Count | 2,110 | 2,110 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.71 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kohls bearers went from 2,110 to 2,110 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 481 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,220 to #13,739.
FAQ
Kohls surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kohls?
Name Census estimates that about 2,420 living Americans carry the surname Kohls. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,634 residents.
How common is Kohls?
Kohls ranks #13,739 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,110 people with the surname Kohls. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,420), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Kohls.
Has Kohls become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kohls went from 2,110 recorded bearers to 2,110. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,220 to #13,739.
What does the Census say about the background of Kohls?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohls, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Kohls in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (1,987 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kohls appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (2.3%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Kohls (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 Kohls mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the Germanic word "kohl," referring to cabbage or someone who grew or sold cabbage. 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 Kohls (0.71 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 Kohls?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Kohls on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.