2000
#6,310
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,970
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.84
Rare Last name
Kuehl
A German occupational surname denoting a person who kept cool storage, such as a cellar master or refrigeration worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,559 Americans carry the last name Kuehl. That puts it at #6,692 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,658 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kuehl 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
5.6K
1 in 61,658
Census rank
#6,692
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,848 bearers of the surname Kuehl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6692nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuehl, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kuehl
The surname Kuehl has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "kühl," which means "cool" or "chilly." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived in a cool or shaded area or had a cool demeanor.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Kuehl can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Mark of Brandenburg, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as Kuhle, Kuhl, and Kuhlen, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
During the 14th century, the name Kuehl is mentioned in the Stadtbuch von Zerbst, a municipal record book from the town of Zerbst in Saxony-Anhalt. This document provides insights into the lives of individuals bearing the name and their involvement in local affairs.
One notable individual with the surname Kuehl was Johann Gottfried Kuehl, a German composer and organist who lived from 1686 to 1721. He was renowned for his sacred compositions and served as the organist at the Marienkirche in Lübeck.
Another prominent figure was Christian Gottlieb Kuehl, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1754 to 1842. He is best known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting scenes from various regions of Germany.
In the 19th century, the Kuehl family played a significant role in the development of the city of Leipzig. Johann Gottlob Kuehl (1806-1888) was a successful entrepreneur who established a textile manufacturing business, contributing to the city's industrial growth.
The name Kuehl has also been associated with several place names in Germany, such as Kuhlenkampffleth, a small village in Lower Saxony, and Kuhlenbrok, a district in the city of Salzgitter. These place names may have influenced the surname or vice versa, reflecting the close connection between surnames and geographic locations.
Other notable individuals with the surname Kuehl include Hans Kuehl (1895-1979), a German-American actor and screenwriter who appeared in several Hollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s, and Klaus Kuehl (born 1938), a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kuehl
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuehl, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kuehl 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 Kuehl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 4,560
- Two or more races2.7% · 132
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
- Black or African American0.3% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kuehl
Kuehl 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
#6,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,918
-52 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Down 537 places
2020
#6,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,848
-70 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Up 155 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,310 | 4,970 | 1.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,847 | 4,918 | 1.67 | -52 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 537 places |
| 2020 | #6,692 | 4,848 | 1.62 | -70 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 155 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 Kuehl 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 | #6,847 | #6,692 | 2.3% |
| Count | 4,918 | 4,848 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.67 | 1.62 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kuehl bearers went from 4,918 to 4,848 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 155 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,847 to #6,692.
FAQ
Kuehl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kuehl?
Name Census estimates that about 5,559 living Americans carry the surname Kuehl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,658 residents.
How common is Kuehl?
Kuehl ranks #6,692 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,848 people with the surname Kuehl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,559), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kuehl.
Has Kuehl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kuehl went from 4,918 recorded bearers to 4,848. That is a decrease of 70 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,847 to #6,692.
What does the Census say about the background of Kuehl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kuehl, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (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 Kuehl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (4,560 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kuehl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (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 Kuehl (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 Kuehl mean?
A German occupational surname denoting a person who kept cool storage, such as a cellar master or refrigeration worker. 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 Kuehl (1.62 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 Kuehl?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Kuehl at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.