2000
#5,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,224
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.31
Rare Last name
Mohler
An occupational surname referring to a miller or grinder of grain, derived from the German word "Müller."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,054 Americans carry the last name Mohler. That puts it at #5,466 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,590 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mohler 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
7.1K
1 in 48,590
Census rank
#5,466
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,151 bearers of the surname Mohler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5466th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mohler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mohler
The surname Mohler has its roots in Germany, tracing back to the 16th and 17th centuries. It is thought to have originated from the German word "Muhle," which means "mill," implying that the name's earliest bearers were likely associated with the operation or ownership of mills. Originally spelled variations include Möhler, Muhler, and Mühler.
One of the earliest known references to the Mohler name can be found in historical records from the town of Mühlhausen in Thuringia, Germany, where a family bearing the name Muhler is documented as residing in the late 16th century. The Mühlhausen region had a strong milling industry at the time, lending credence to the theory that the name is derived from this occupation.
In the 17th century, the Mohler surname began appearing in various German church and municipal records, such as baptismal and marriage registers. Notable early bearers of the name include Johannes Möhler (1596-1665), a prominent miller and landowner in the town of Fritzlar, and Anna Katharina Mühler (1624-1689), a respected midwife in the city of Kassel.
As the decades progressed, the Mohler name spread across different regions of Germany and into neighboring countries. One of the most renowned individuals with this surname was Johann Adam Möhler (1796-1838), a Catholic theologian and professor at the University of Tübingen, who was widely regarded for his contributions to the Catholic revival movement in Germany.
Other notable figures throughout history include Carl Möhler (1825-1893), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and portraits, and Friedrich Möhler (1834-1897), a German-American engineer and inventor who played a pivotal role in the development of early telephone technology.
In the 19th century, many Mohlers immigrated to the United States, particularly from the regions of Baden, Württemberg, and Bavaria. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Johann Georg Möhler (1772-1848), a farmer who settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1800s.
As the Mohler family established roots in America, several members achieved distinction in various fields. One such individual was John Frederick Mohler (1858-1925), an influential veterinarian and educator who served as the Chief of the United States Bureau of Animal Industry from 1908 to 1923.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mohler
Among Census respondents with the surname Mohler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mohler 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 Mohler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 5,636
- Two or more races3.7% · 225
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 175
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 68
- Black or African American0.5% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mohler
Mohler 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
#5,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,506
+282 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.21
Rank movement Down 180 places
2020
#5,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,151
-355 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Down 118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,168 | 6,224 | 2.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,348 | 6,506 | 2.21 | +282 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 180 places |
| 2020 | #5,466 | 6,151 | 2.06 | -355 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 118 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 Mohler 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 | #5,348 | #5,466 | -2.2% |
| Count | 6,506 | 6,151 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.21 | 2.06 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mohler bearers went from 6,506 to 6,151 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,348 to #5,466.
FAQ
Mohler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mohler?
Name Census estimates that about 7,054 living Americans carry the surname Mohler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,590 residents.
How common is Mohler?
Mohler ranks #5,466 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.06 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 6,151 people with the surname Mohler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,054), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.06 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 Mohler.
Has Mohler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mohler went from 6,506 recorded bearers to 6,151. That is a decrease of 355 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,348 to #5,466.
What does the Census say about the background of Mohler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mohler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mohler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (5,636 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mohler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Mohler (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 Mohler mean?
An occupational surname referring to a miller or grinder of grain, derived from the German word "Müller." 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 Mohler (2.06 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 last name Mohler?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Mohler at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.