2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kowald
From Austrian dialect, a variant of the surname Kobald meaning "goblin" or "sprite".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Kowald. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kowald 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Kowald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kowald, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kowald
The surname KOWALD is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the early 16th century. It likely derives from the Old High German word "kuowald," which means "cool forest" or "cool grove." The name was initially found in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KOWALD surname appears in a document from the town of Augsburg, dated 1528. This document mentions a "Hans Kowald," who was a local merchant and landowner. Another early reference is found in the parish records of the village of Reutlingen, where a "Johann Kowald" was born in 1547.
During the 17th century, the KOWALD name began to spread beyond its original southern German heartland. Records from this period show bearers of the name in the cities of Cologne and Hamburg. In 1673, a "Peter Kowald" was listed as a member of the guild of blacksmiths in the town of Freiburg im Breisgau.
The 18th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals bearing the KOWALD surname. Johann Andreas Kowald (1718-1792) was a respected theologian and author from Nuremberg, known for his works on church history. Another figure of note was Friedrich Kowald (1743-1815), a military officer who served in the Prussian army during the Napoleonic Wars.
As the 19th century dawned, the KOWALD name had become well-established across various regions of Germany. One of the most prominent bearers of the surname during this era was the composer and pianist Carl Kowald (1807-1871), who was born in Dresden and achieved considerable fame for his piano works and lieder.
Towards the latter half of the 19th century, the KOWALD name began to appear in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and the search for new opportunities. In 1865, a "Wilhelm Kowald" was recorded as a resident of Vienna, Austria, where he worked as a cabinet maker. Meanwhile, in Switzerland, a "Johann Kowald" from Freiburg settled in the city of Zurich in 1879, working as a baker.
As the 20th century approached, the KOWALD surname continued to spread globally, with bearers of the name found in various parts of the world. One notable figure from this era was the German-American physicist Hans Kowald (1901-1988), who made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics and taught at several prestigious universities in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kowald
Among Census respondents with the surname Kowald, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Kowald 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 Kowald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 5
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kowald
Kowald 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
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-7 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 3,738 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 3,738 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 Kowald 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 | #151,532 | #155,270 | -2.5% |
| Count | 108 | 101 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kowald bearers went from 108 to 101 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 3,738 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #155,270.
FAQ
Kowald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kowald?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Kowald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Kowald?
Kowald ranks #155,270 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 101 people with the surname Kowald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), 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 Kowald.
Has Kowald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kowald went from 108 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Kowald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kowald, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (2.0%). 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 Kowald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kowald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (5.0%), Black (2.0%). 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 Kowald (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 Kowald mean?
From Austrian dialect, a variant of the surname Kobald meaning "goblin" or "sprite". 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 Kowald (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 have the surname Kowald?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.