2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kosmerl
A surname of Slovenian origin possibly related to the word "kosma" meaning hair or fur.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Kosmerl. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kosmerl 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Kosmerl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosmerl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kosmerl
The surname KOSMERL originated in the region of present-day Germany and the Czech Republic, where it first appeared in records dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "kosmer," which referred to a person who made or sold cosmetics or fragrances.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in a manuscript from the Benedictine monastery in Regensburg, Bavaria, dated 1194. The document mentions a certain "Konrad Kosmerl," who was a perfumer and merchant in the city.
In the following centuries, the name spread across Central Europe, with variations in spelling such as "Kosmirl," "Kosmerell," and "Kosmierle." It was particularly common in the regions of Bohemia and Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic), where several notable bearers of the name can be found in historical records.
One such figure was Jan Kosmerl (c.1420-1492), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Prague, who was involved in the Hussite Wars and owned several estates in the region. Another was Katarina Kosmerl (1503-1578), a noblewoman from Brno who was known for her philanthropy and support of the arts.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name also appeared in various German-speaking regions, such as Saxony and Silesia. One notable bearer was Johannes Kosmerl (1587-1648), a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Zittau, who wrote several influential works on theology and church history.
As the name spread westward, it appeared in different spellings, such as "Kosmirl" in the Netherlands and "Cosmirl" in parts of France and Belgium. One of the earliest recorded instances in the Low Countries was a certain "Pieter Kosmirl," a merchant from Antwerp who is mentioned in a trade register from 1629.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the name continued to be found across Central and Western Europe, although it remained relatively uncommon. Notable bearers from this period include August Kosmerl (1767-1842), a German composer and violinist from Leipzig, and Marie-Louise Cosmirl (1815-1892), a French novelist and poet from Bordeaux.
While the surname KOSMERL is still found today, particularly in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, it remains a relatively rare name, with its origins firmly rooted in the medieval and early modern history of Central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kosmerl
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosmerl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kosmerl 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 Kosmerl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 107
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kosmerl
Kosmerl 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-12 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,174 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-10 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,045 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 17,174 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 11,045 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 Kosmerl 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 | #134,712 | #145,757 | -8.2% |
| Count | 125 | 115 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kosmerl bearers went from 125 to 115 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 11,045 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #145,757.
FAQ
Kosmerl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kosmerl?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Kosmerl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Kosmerl?
Kosmerl ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Kosmerl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Kosmerl.
Has Kosmerl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kosmerl went from 125 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Kosmerl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kosmerl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Kosmerl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kosmerl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Kosmerl (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 Kosmerl mean?
A surname of Slovenian origin possibly related to the word "kosma" meaning hair or fur. 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 Kosmerl (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 are called Kosmerl?
See how common the surname Kosmerl is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.