2000
#5,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,309
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.97
Rare Last name
Uhl
A German occupational surname referring to a potter or a person who transports goods in a container.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,032 Americans carry the last name Uhl. That puts it at #6,237 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,823 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Uhl 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
6.0K
1 in 56,823
Census rank
#6,237
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,260 bearers of the surname Uhl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6237th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Uhl
The surname Uhl originated in Germany, with its earliest known recorded instances appearing in the 15th century. The name is derived from the Old High German word "uol," which means "owl." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who resembled an owl or had some association with these birds.
In the Middle Ages, surnames were often derived from physical characteristics, occupations, or associations with animals or objects. The Uhl name likely falls into this category, reflecting a descriptive moniker that eventually became an inherited family name.
One of the earliest known references to the Uhl name can be found in the records of the town of Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in Bavaria, Germany. In 1462, a man named Hans Uhl was listed as a citizen of the town.
Throughout the centuries, the Uhl name has been recorded with various spelling variations, including Uhl, Uhle, Uhlen, and Uhlig. These variations reflect regional dialects and differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions over time.
Uhl is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Uhlingen, a town in Baden-Württemberg, and Uhlfelden, a municipality in Bavaria. These place names may have contributed to the formation of the surname in certain regions.
One notable individual with the Uhl surname was Johann Ludwig Uhl (1739-1810), a German architect and designer who worked in the Baroque and Neoclassical styles. He is particularly known for his work on the Frauenkirche in Dresden, a landmark church that was heavily damaged during World War II and later restored.
Another distinguished bearer of the Uhl name was Maximilian Uhl (1804-1865), a German painter and lithographer who specialized in landscapes and architectural works. His paintings often depicted scenes from Bavaria and the Alps.
In the 19th century, Johann Uhl (1810-1880) was a German Catholic theologian and philosopher who wrote extensively on the relationship between faith and reason.
The Uhl surname also has a presence in other European countries, such as Switzerland and Austria. In Switzerland, one notable figure was Johann Uhl (1767-1847), a Swiss Catholic priest and theologian who served as the bishop of Chur.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Uhl name dates back to the mid-18th century. Johann Michael Uhl (1728-1804) was a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania and became a farmer and innkeeper.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uhl
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Uhl 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 Uhl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 4,816
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 198
- Two or more races2.9% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 50
- Black or African American0.6% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Uhl
Uhl 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
#6,476
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,244
-65 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Down 504 places
2020
#6,237
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,260
+16 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Up 239 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,972 | 5,309 | 1.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,476 | 5,244 | 1.78 | -65 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 504 places |
| 2020 | #6,237 | 5,260 | 1.76 | +16 bearers (+0.3%) | Up 239 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 Uhl 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 | #6,476 | #6,237 | 3.7% |
| Count | 5,244 | 5,260 | 0.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.76 | -1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Uhl bearers went from 5,244 to 5,260 (+0.3% change). The surname moved up 239 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,476 to #6,237.
FAQ
Uhl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Uhl?
Name Census estimates that about 6,032 living Americans carry the surname Uhl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,823 residents.
How common is Uhl?
Uhl ranks #6,237 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.76 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 5,260 people with the surname Uhl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,032), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.76 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 Uhl.
Has Uhl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Uhl went from 5,244 recorded bearers to 5,260. That is an increase of 16 (+0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,476 to #6,237.
What does the Census say about the background of Uhl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Uhl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (4,816 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Uhl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Uhl (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 Uhl mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a potter or a person who transports goods in a container. 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 Uhl (1.76 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 Uhl?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Uhl at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.