2000
#12,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,326
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Ohler
A German occupational surname referring to an oil maker or seller, derived from the Middle High German "öl."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,587 Americans carry the last name Ohler. That puts it at #13,015 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,491 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ohler 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
2.6K
1 in 132,491
Census rank
#13,015
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,256 bearers of the surname Ohler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13015th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ohler
The surname Ohler has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "ol" or "ole," which means ale or beer, and the suffix "-er," which denotes an occupation or trade. This suggests that the name was originally associated with someone who brewed or sold ale.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Poloniae, a collection of historical documents from Poland, where a person named "Olherus" is mentioned in an entry from 1193. The name appeared with various spellings, such as "Oler," "Olher," and "Oelher," in various regions of Germany during the medieval period.
In the 14th century, the name Ohler was prominent in the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße, in the modern-day state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Records from this period mention several individuals with the name, including Johannes Ohler, a landowner and vintner born in 1328.
During the 16th century, a notable figure bearing this surname was Hans Ohler, a German poet and playwright who lived from 1518 to 1582. His works included satirical plays and poems that critiqued social and political issues of his time.
Another historical figure with the name Ohler was Johann Ohler, a German composer and organist who lived from 1674 to 1738. He is known for his contributions to the development of the German Baroque music tradition.
In the 18th century, Friedrich Ohler, born in 1764, was a prominent German educator and author. He wrote several works on pedagogy and education, and his ideas influenced educational reforms in Germany at the time.
As the name Ohler spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, it also appeared in various place names, such as Ohlerfeld and Ohlershausen, which are towns and villages located in different parts of Germany.
While the Ohler surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration. However, its historical significance remains tied to its German origins and the rich cultural and occupational traditions associated with the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ohler
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ohler 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 Ohler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 2,012
- Two or more races4.5% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 20
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ohler
Ohler 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
#12,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,420
+94 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 486 places
2020
#13,015
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,256
-164 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,266 | 2,326 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,752 | 2,420 | 0.82 | +94 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 486 places |
| 2020 | #13,015 | 2,256 | 0.75 | -164 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 263 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 Ohler 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 | #12,752 | #13,015 | -2.1% |
| Count | 2,420 | 2,256 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.75 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ohler bearers went from 2,420 to 2,256 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 263 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,752 to #13,015.
FAQ
Ohler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ohler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,587 living Americans carry the surname Ohler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,491 residents.
How common is Ohler?
Ohler ranks #13,015 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,256 people with the surname Ohler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,587), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Ohler.
Has Ohler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ohler went from 2,420 recorded bearers to 2,256. That is a decrease of 164 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,752 to #13,015.
What does the Census say about the background of Ohler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Ohler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (2,012 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ohler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Ohler (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 Ohler mean?
A German occupational surname referring to an oil maker or seller, derived from the Middle High German "öl." 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 Ohler (0.75 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 share the surname Ohler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.