2000
#75,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 238
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Pohlen
A German surname derived from the Polish place name, indicating geographic origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 314 Americans carry the last name Pohlen. That puts it at #75,813 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,091,574 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pohlen 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
314
1 in 1,091,574
Census rank
#75,813
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
274
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 274 bearers of the surname Pohlen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 75813th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pohlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pohlen
The surname POHLEN originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "pol," meaning a meadow or field, suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived or worked in a meadow or field area.
The name POHLEN is closely linked to the region of Saxony in eastern Germany, where it was particularly prevalent in the Middle Ages. Historical records indicate that the name appeared in various forms, such as Pohlen, Pöhlen, and Poehlen, reflecting regional dialectal variations.
One of the earliest documented references to the name POHLEN can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval charters and documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This codex mentions individuals with the surname POHLEN in connection with land transactions and legal proceedings.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the POHLEN name gained prominence in various parts of Germany, including Saxony, Silesia, and Brandenburg. Several notable individuals bore this surname, such as Johann Pohlen (1528-1596), a Lutheran theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Pohlen (1675-1737), a German architect and builder who designed several churches and palaces in Saxony, including the Pillnitz Palace in Dresden.
In the 18th century, the POHLEN name appeared in the records of the Prussian Army, with several officers and soldiers bearing this surname. One such individual was Friedrich von Pohlen (1742-1810), a Prussian general who served in the Napoleonic Wars.
The 19th century saw the POHLEN name spread further across Germany and into neighboring countries. One notable figure was Robert Pohlen (1853-1927), a German businessman and industrialist who founded the Pohlen-Werke, a major steel and machinery manufacturing company in Cologne.
Throughout its history, the surname POHLEN has been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Pohlenz, Pohlheim, and Pohlsee, suggesting that the name may have originated from or been influenced by these locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pohlen
Among Census respondents with the surname Pohlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Pohlen 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 Pohlen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 256
- Two or more races4.4% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 3
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pohlen
Pohlen 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
#76,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 250
+12 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 1,302 places
2020
#75,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 274
+24 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 955 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #75,466 | 238 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #76,768 | 250 | 0.08 | +12 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 1,302 places |
| 2020 | #75,813 | 274 | 0.09 | +24 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 955 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 Pohlen 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 | #76,768 | #75,813 | 1.2% |
| Count | 250 | 274 | 9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.09 | 14.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pohlen bearers went from 250 to 274 (+9.6% change). The surname moved up 955 positions in the national ranking, going from #76,768 to #75,813.
FAQ
Pohlen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pohlen?
Name Census estimates that about 314 living Americans carry the surname Pohlen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,091,574 residents.
How common is Pohlen?
Pohlen ranks #75,813 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 274 people with the surname Pohlen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (314), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pohlen.
Has Pohlen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pohlen went from 250 recorded bearers to 274. That is an increase of 24 (+9.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #76,768 to #75,813.
What does the Census say about the background of Pohlen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pohlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Pohlen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (256 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pohlen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.1%). 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 Pohlen (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 Pohlen mean?
A German surname derived from the Polish place name, indicating geographic origin. 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 Pohlen (0.09 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 Pohlen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.