2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kossel
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from a place name or an occupational name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Kossel. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kossel 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Kossel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kossel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kossel
The surname Kossel is of German origin, originating in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Low German word "kossät," which referred to a type of free peasant or serf who held a small plot of land. This term itself comes from the Old Saxon word "kots," meaning a small house or cottage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kossel can be found in the town records of Lübeck, a prominent city in northern Germany, dating back to the late 15th century. It is likely that the name first emerged in the region surrounding Lübeck and the neighboring areas of Mecklenburg and Holstein.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Kossel name was Hans Kossel, a merchant and ship owner from Lübeck. He was involved in the lucrative trade between the Hanseatic League cities and other parts of Europe, contributing to the city's economic prosperity during that period.
As the Kossel family spread across Germany in subsequent centuries, variations in spelling emerged, such as Kossell, Kößel, and Kössel. These variations reflect the regional dialects and orthographic differences that existed before the standardization of the German language.
In the late 18th century, Johann Gottlieb Kossel, a prominent theologian and philosopher, was born in Görlitz, Saxony. He made significant contributions to the field of Protestant theology and was widely respected for his scholarly works.
During the 19th century, the Kossel family continued to gain recognition, with several individuals achieving notable accomplishments. One such figure was Albrecht Kossel, a German biochemist and Nobel laureate, born in 1853 in Rostock, Mecklenburg. He received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1910 for his groundbreaking work on the chemical composition of nucleic acids, which laid the foundation for our understanding of the molecular basis of heredity.
Another notable individual with the Kossel surname was Wilhelm Kossel, born in 1888 in Greifswald, Pomerania (now part of Germany). He was a distinguished physicist and crystallographer, known for his contributions to the study of X-ray diffraction and the determination of crystal structures.
While the name Kossel is most commonly associated with Germany, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. However, its roots can be traced back to the Low German regions of northern Germany, where it first emerged as a surname for free peasants and landholders.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kossel
Among Census respondents with the surname Kossel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kossel 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 Kossel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kossel
Kossel 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-28 bearers (-20.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 32,560 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+8 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,884 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-20.3%) | Down 32,560 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 5,884 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 Kossel 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 | #149,395 | #143,511 | 3.9% |
| Count | 110 | 118 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kossel bearers went from 110 to 118 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 5,884 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #143,511.
FAQ
Kossel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kossel?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Kossel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Kossel?
Kossel ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Kossel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Kossel.
Has Kossel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kossel went from 110 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 8 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Kossel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kossel, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Kossel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kossel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Kossel (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 Kossel mean?
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from a place name or an occupational name. 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 Kossel (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 have the last name Kossel?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Kossel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.