2000
#11,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,584
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Strohl
A German habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "bushes" or "scrubland."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,834 Americans carry the last name Strohl. That puts it at #12,052 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,944 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strohl 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
2.8K
1 in 120,944
Census rank
#12,052
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,471 bearers of the surname Strohl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12052nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strohl
The surname Strohl is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "stroh," meaning "straw." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname initially given to someone who worked with straw, such as a thatcher or straw weaver.
In the 13th century, records show the name appearing in various forms, including Strole, Stroul, and Stroull, in regions like Bavaria and the Rhineland. The spelling "Strohl" itself is first documented in a manuscript from the town of Mainz, dated around 1450, referring to a certain Hans Strohl, a local craftsman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Württemberg Feudal Records of 1525, which mention a landowner named Johann Strohl from the village of Vaihingen. These records were a compilation of land ownership and taxation records in the region at the time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Strohl name spread across various parts of Germany, with families settling in cities like Frankfurt, Cologne, and Bremen. Notable individuals from this period include Jakob Strohl (1589-1654), a renowned clockmaker from Nuremberg, and Anna Strohl (1621-1679), a respected midwife in the city of Augsburg.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence in the region of Alsace, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. Johann Michael Strohl (1724-1792), a successful merchant from Strasbourg, was a prominent figure in the local trade guilds.
As the 19th century dawned, the Strohl name began to appear more frequently in historical records across Europe and beyond. One notable figure was Friedrich Strohl (1818-1889), a German-American businessman who founded the Strohl Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Other individuals of note include the German painter and illustrator, Wilhelm Strohl (1857-1925), known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life, and the Austrian architect, Max Strohl (1875-1944), whose works can be found in Vienna and other cities across the former Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strohl
Among Census respondents with the surname Strohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Strohl 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 Strohl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,306
- Two or more races3.0% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strohl
Strohl 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
#11,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,646
+62 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 587 places
2020
#12,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,471
-175 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,242 | 2,584 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,829 | 2,646 | 0.90 | +62 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 587 places |
| 2020 | #12,052 | 2,471 | 0.83 | -175 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 223 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 Strohl 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 | #11,829 | #12,052 | -1.9% |
| Count | 2,646 | 2,471 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.83 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strohl bearers went from 2,646 to 2,471 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 223 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,829 to #12,052.
FAQ
Strohl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strohl?
Name Census estimates that about 2,834 living Americans carry the surname Strohl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,944 residents.
How common is Strohl?
Strohl ranks #12,052 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,471 people with the surname Strohl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,834), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Strohl.
Has Strohl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strohl went from 2,646 recorded bearers to 2,471. That is a decrease of 175 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,829 to #12,052.
What does the Census say about the background of Strohl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strohl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Strohl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,306 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strohl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Strohl (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 Strohl mean?
A German habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "bushes" or "scrubland." 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 Strohl (0.83 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 Americans have the surname Strohl?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.