The Koch surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 49,395 people carried this name — #698 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,970 people counted. That is up 4% from 47,286 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Koch surname
Borrowed from German Koch (“cook”), an occupational surname.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Koch» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
8,637 people named Koch live in Switzerland.
They live in all 26 of Switzerland’s cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Poland’s population register
3,214 people named Koch have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 3,927 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in all 16 of Poland’s voivodeships, most of all in Silesian.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 3,108 people named Koch.
348 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 76 départements, most often Moselle.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 2,191 people named Koch live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 601 people named Koch live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
1,210 people named Koch are counted in Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Norway publishes only surnames with 200 or more bearers. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Statistics Norway (SSB, ssb.no), table 12891, 2025 — CC BY 4.0 · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Koch in American newspapers,
1900–1906.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 330,490 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Koch,
with a public archive behind them.
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Jonas Koch d. 1503 · mayor
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Gottfried Koch d. 1702 · mayor
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Augusto Koch d. 1878 · mathematician
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Simon Koch d. 1503 · printer
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Johann Michael Koch d. 1730 · teacher
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Christian Gottlieb Koch d. 1736 · pastor
Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Koch.
When the index is not enough
This page says where Koch is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.