2000
#13,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,093
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Lohse
A German occupational surname referring to a tanner or leather worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,371 Americans carry the last name Lohse. That puts it at #13,963 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,561 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lohse 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
2.4K
1 in 144,561
Census rank
#13,963
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,068 bearers of the surname Lohse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13963rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lohse, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lohse
The surname Lohse has its origins in Germany and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "loh," meaning a small wood or grove. The name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a small wooded area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the regions of Saxony and Thuringia in central Germany. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Lohse, who was mentioned in a tax record in the town of Erfurt, Thuringia, in 1412.
In the 16th century, the surname Lohse began to appear more frequently in church records and other official documents throughout Germany. During this time, variations in spelling, such as Lohs, Lohss, and Lohsche, were also common.
One notable historical figure with the surname Lohse was Johann Lohse, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1624 to 1677. He was a professor at the University of Leipzig and made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy during his lifetime.
Another prominent individual with the Lohse surname was Friedrich Lohse, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1822 to 1909. He is best known for his landscapes and genre paintings, which captured scenes of everyday life in Germany during the 19th century.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several individuals with the surname Lohse achieved recognition in various fields. These include Max Lohse, a German botanist (1857-1933) who specialized in the study of lichens, and Walter Lohse, a German military officer (1888-1970) who served during World War I and World War II.
Another notable figure was Oskar Lohse, a German politician (1888-1964) who served as the Reichskommissar for the Occupied Eastern Territories during World War II. His role in implementing Nazi policies in occupied territories has made him a controversial historical figure.
Over time, the surname Lohse has spread beyond its German origins, with bearers of the name found in various countries around the world. However, its roots can be traced back to the small wooded areas of central Germany, where it first emerged as a descriptive surname hundreds of years ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lohse
Among Census respondents with the surname Lohse, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lohse 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 Lohse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 1,866
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 93
- Two or more races3.5% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lohse
Lohse 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
#14,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,109
+16 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 871 places
2020
#13,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,068
-41 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 260 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,352 | 2,093 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,223 | 2,109 | 0.71 | +16 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 871 places |
| 2020 | #13,963 | 2,068 | 0.69 | -41 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 260 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 Lohse 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 | #14,223 | #13,963 | 1.8% |
| Count | 2,109 | 2,068 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.69 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lohse bearers went from 2,109 to 2,068 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 260 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,223 to #13,963.
FAQ
Lohse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lohse?
Name Census estimates that about 2,371 living Americans carry the surname Lohse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,561 residents.
How common is Lohse?
Lohse ranks #13,963 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,068 people with the surname Lohse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,371), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Lohse.
Has Lohse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lohse went from 2,109 recorded bearers to 2,068. That is a decrease of 41 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,223 to #13,963.
What does the Census say about the background of Lohse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lohse, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Lohse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (1,866 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lohse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Lohse (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 Lohse mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a tanner or leather 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 Lohse (0.69 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 Lohse?
Find out how many people have the last name Lohse on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.