2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lohsen
A German occupational surname derived from the Old German word "loh" meaning "clearing" or "grove."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Lohsen. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lohsen 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Lohsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lohsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lohsen
The surname LOHSEN originated in Germany, likely derived from the Low German word "lohse" which means "wasteland" or "marshy area." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have resided in or near a swampy region.
The name LOHSEN can be traced back to the early 15th century in various parts of northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name is found in the records of the city of Lübeck, where a merchant named Johann LOHSEN was mentioned in 1428.
In the 16th century, the LOHSEN name appeared in several historical documents, such as the land registry records of the town of Rostock, where a family by the name of LOHSEN owned a sizeable estate. Another notable figure from this period was Hans LOHSEN, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Hamburg, who lived from 1510 to 1582.
During the 17th century, the LOHSEN name spread across various parts of northern Germany, as well as into neighboring regions like Denmark and the Netherlands. One notable bearer of this name was Johann Friedrich LOHSEN, a renowned Lutheran theologian and author born in 1683 in the town of Itzehoe, Schleswig-Holstein.
The 18th century saw the LOHSEN name gain further prominence, with several individuals making significant contributions in various fields. One such figure was Georg Christian LOHSEN, a respected jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1714 to 1789 and served as the mayor of the city of Lübeck.
In the 19th century, the LOHSEN name continued to be well-represented in various parts of Germany, with notable individuals including Johann Heinrich LOHSEN, a prominent shipbuilder and industrialist from the city of Kiel, who lived from 1812 to 1884, and Carl LOHSEN, a celebrated artist and painter born in 1829 in the town of Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein.
Throughout its history, the LOHSEN surname has been associated with various place names and variations in spelling, such as Lohsen, Loosen, and Losen, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic variations within Germany. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in its connection to marshy or swampy areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lohsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Lohsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lohsen 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 Lohsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.2% · 106
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lohsen
Lohsen 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,994 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-8 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,097 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,994 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 8,097 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 Lohsen 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 | #142,108 | #150,205 | -5.7% |
| Count | 117 | 109 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lohsen bearers went from 117 to 109 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 8,097 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #150,205.
FAQ
Lohsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lohsen?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Lohsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Lohsen?
Lohsen ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Lohsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Lohsen.
Has Lohsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lohsen went from 117 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Lohsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lohsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.2%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Lohsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lohsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.2%), Black (0.9%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Lohsen (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 Lohsen mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Old German word "loh" meaning "clearing" or "grove." 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 Lohsen (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 are called Lohsen?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Lohsen is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.