2000
#13,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Loh
A Chinese surname derived from the state of Loh, granted to the descendants of the feudal lords.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,820 Americans carry the last name Loh. That puts it at #12,100 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,544 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loh 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 Loh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,544
Census rank
#12,100
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,459 bearers of the surname Loh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12100th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.0%. The next largest groups are White (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loh
The surname Loh is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to have derived from the German word "lohe," which means "flame" or "blaze." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a forge or worked as a blacksmith.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Loh can be found in the town of Lohne, located in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany. Lohne was first mentioned in a document from the year 1154, and it is possible that the surname Loh emerged from this place name.
In the 17th century, the name Loh appeared in various records across Germany, including church registers and tax records. One notable individual with this surname was Johann Loh, a German composer and organist who lived from 1625 to 1699.
As the centuries passed, the Loh name spread across Europe, and some individuals with this surname left their mark in history. In the 18th century, Johann Konrad Loh (1720-1795) was a German theologian and author, known for his works on Christian ethics and theology.
In the 19th century, the Loh surname gained prominence in the field of science. Carl Ernst Adolf Loh (1821-1886) was a German chemist and mineralogist who made significant contributions to the study of minerals and their chemical composition.
Another notable figure with the surname Loh was Johann Loh (1848-1917), a German politician and trade unionist. He played a vital role in the formation of the Social Democratic Party of Germany and advocated for workers' rights and social reforms.
In the 20th century, the Loh name continued to be represented in various fields. Hans Loh (1903-1989) was a German-born American architect who designed several notable buildings in California, including the iconic Union 76 gas station in Beverly Hills.
While the surname Loh may have originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including Asia. However, the historical records and notable individuals mentioned above provide insight into the rich heritage and significance of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loh
Among Census respondents with the surname Loh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.0%. The next largest groups are White (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Loh 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 Loh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander78.0% · 1,917
- White14.3% · 351
- Two or more races4.8% · 119
- Black or African American1.6% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loh
Loh 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
#12,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,379
+229 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 143 places
2020
#12,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,459
+80 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,064 | 2,150 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,921 | 2,379 | 0.81 | +229 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 143 places |
| 2020 | #12,100 | 2,459 | 0.82 | +80 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 821 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 Loh 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 | #12,921 | #12,100 | 6.4% |
| Count | 2,379 | 2,459 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.82 | 1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loh bearers went from 2,379 to 2,459 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 821 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,921 to #12,100.
FAQ
Loh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loh?
Name Census estimates that about 2,820 living Americans carry the surname Loh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,544 residents.
How common is Loh?
Loh ranks #12,100 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,459 people with the surname Loh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,820), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Loh.
Has Loh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loh went from 2,379 recorded bearers to 2,459. That is an increase of 80 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,921 to #12,100.
What does the Census say about the background of Loh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loh, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.0%. The next largest groups are White (14.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Loh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.0% (1,917 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (78.0%), White (14.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Loh (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 Loh mean?
A Chinese surname derived from the state of Loh, granted to the descendants of the feudal lords. 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 Loh (0.82 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 common is the surname Loh?
Find out how many people have the last name Loh on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.