2000
#13,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,058
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Ohl
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from a place name meaning "cavity" or "hollow" in German.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,133 Americans carry the last name Ohl. That puts it at #15,202 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,691 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ohl 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
2.1K
1 in 160,691
Census rank
#15,202
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,860 bearers of the surname Ohl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15202nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ohl
The surname "OHL" is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "Ohle," meaning "alder tree" or "alder grove." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked with alder trees.
During the Middle Ages, the name "OHL" appeared in various forms, including "Ohle," "Ohlde," and "Ohlen," reflecting regional differences in spelling and pronunciation. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, where a certain "Hermannus de Ohlen" is mentioned in 1195.
In the 13th century, the name "OHL" began to spread across Germany, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. One such person was Johannes Ohl, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bremen, who lived around 1260. Another was Konrad Ohl, a respected scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Heidelberg in the late 14th century.
As the name "OHL" continued to evolve, it became associated with certain geographical regions, particularly in the southern and central parts of Germany. For instance, the town of Ohlenbach in Hesse is believed to have derived its name from the presence of alder trees in the area, further solidifying the connection between the surname and its botanical origins.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname "OHL." One of the earliest was Hans Ohl, a German painter and printmaker who lived in the 16th century (c. 1520 - c. 1580). Another was Johann Philipp Ohl, a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets in the 18th century (1703 - 1780).
In more recent times, the name "OHL" has been carried by individuals such as Hugo Ohl, a German politician and member of the Reichstag in the late 19th century (1835 - 1924), and Jerzy Ohl, a Polish-born architect and urban planner who worked in the 20th century (1915 - 2005).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ohl
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ohl 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 Ohl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 1,757
- Two or more races2.7% · 50
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 16
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ohl
Ohl 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
#14,739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,016
-42 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,199 places
2020
#15,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,860
-156 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 463 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,540 | 2,058 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,739 | 2,016 | 0.68 | -42 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 1,199 places |
| 2020 | #15,202 | 1,860 | 0.62 | -156 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 463 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 Ohl 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 | #14,739 | #15,202 | -3.1% |
| Count | 2,016 | 1,860 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.62 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ohl bearers went from 2,016 to 1,860 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 463 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,739 to #15,202.
FAQ
Ohl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ohl?
Name Census estimates that about 2,133 living Americans carry the surname Ohl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,691 residents.
How common is Ohl?
Ohl ranks #15,202 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,860 people with the surname Ohl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Ohl.
Has Ohl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ohl went from 2,016 recorded bearers to 1,860. That is a decrease of 156 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,739 to #15,202.
What does the Census say about the background of Ohl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Ohl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (1,757 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ohl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Ohl (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 Ohl mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from a place name meaning "cavity" or "hollow" in German. 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 Ohl (0.62 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 have the last name Ohl?
You can see how many people have the last name Ohl on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.