2000
#3,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,006
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.34
Uncommon Last name
Kohn
A Jewish surname of Hebrew origin, meaning "priest" or "descendant of the priestly class."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,355 Americans carry the last name Kohn. That puts it at #3,514 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,185 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kohn 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 Kohn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,185
Census rank
#3,514
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,902 bearers of the surname Kohn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3514th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kohn
The surname KOHN has its origins in the German and Jewish communities of Central Europe, particularly in the regions of modern-day Germany, Austria, and neighboring areas. It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the late Middle Ages or early modern period, around the 15th to 17th centuries.
The name KOHN is derived from the Hebrew personal name Kohen, which means "priest" or "descendant of the priestly caste." This suggests that the surname may have initially been adopted by families descended from the ancient priestly lineage of the Israelites. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Kohn, Cohn, Kahan, and others, as it spread across different regions and languages.
One of the earliest known references to the surname KOHN can be found in the records of the Jewish community of Prague, in what is now the Czech Republic, dating back to the 16th century. The name appears in documents related to Jewish residents and families in the city during that time period.
Notable individuals with the surname KOHN throughout history include Moses Kohn (1752-1817), a German-Jewish banker and philanthropist; Salomon Kohn (1825-1904), an Austrian composer and conductor; Gustav Kohn (1859-1938), an Austrian writer and journalist; and Harry Kohn (1887-1967), an American philosopher and historian of Zionism.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Ferdinand Kohn (1917-2001), an Austrian-American physicist who made significant contributions to the field of solid-state physics. He was born in Vienna and later immigrated to the United States, where he worked at various prestigious institutions, including the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
As the name KOHN spread across Europe and beyond, variations and alternative spellings emerged, often reflecting local linguistic and cultural influences. For instance, in parts of Eastern Europe, the name may have been rendered as Cohen or Kohen, closer to its Hebrew roots.
It is worth noting that the surname KOHN was not limited to Jewish communities but was also adopted by some non-Jewish families, particularly in areas with significant Jewish populations or cultural influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kohn
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kohn 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 Kohn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 8,921
- Black or African American3.5% · 347
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 347
- Two or more races1.9% · 191
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kohn
Kohn 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
#3,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,701
+695 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 3.29
Rank movement Down 48 places
2020
#3,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,902
+201 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 3.31
Rank movement Up 159 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,625 | 9,006 | 3.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,673 | 9,701 | 3.29 | +695 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 48 places |
| 2020 | #3,514 | 9,902 | 3.31 | +201 bearers (+2.1%) | Up 159 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 Kohn 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 | #3,673 | #3,514 | 4.3% |
| Count | 9,701 | 9,902 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.29 | 3.31 | 0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kohn bearers went from 9,701 to 9,902 (+2.1% change). The surname moved up 159 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,673 to #3,514.
FAQ
Kohn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kohn?
Name Census estimates that about 11,355 living Americans carry the surname Kohn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,185 residents.
How common is Kohn?
Kohn ranks #3,514 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,902 people with the surname Kohn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,355), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Kohn.
Has Kohn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kohn went from 9,701 recorded bearers to 9,902. That is an increase of 201 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,673 to #3,514.
What does the Census say about the background of Kohn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kohn, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Black (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Kohn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (8,921 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kohn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Black (3.5%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Kohn (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 Kohn mean?
A Jewish surname of Hebrew origin, meaning "priest" or "descendant of the priestly class." 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 Kohn (3.31 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 Americans have the surname Kohn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.