The Koester surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,380 people carried this name — #4,789 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 40,000 people counted. That is up 5% from 7,036 in 2000.

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In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 23 people named Koester.

1 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 7 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 1
Bas-Rhin 12
Moselle 4
Paris 2
Dordogne 1
Hérault 1
Meurthe-et-Moselle 1
Oise 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In print

Koester in American newspapers,
1908–1922.

Newspaper page from The Times And Democrat carrying the name Koester
The Times And Democrat 1908-02-18
Newspaper page from Fort Mill Times carrying the name Koester
Fort Mill Times 1908-02-20
Newspaper page from The Herald carrying the name Koester
The Herald 1922-08-03

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 16,395 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Koester in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1960s.

247 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Koester. The most, 130, date from the 1890s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 118
Queensland 45
Victoria 30
South Australia 29
Western Australia 18
Tasmania 6
ACT (Canberra) 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Koester.

Who carried it

People named Koester,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Alexander Koester
    Alexander Koester 1864–1932 · painter
  • Hugo Koester 1856– · writer
  • Frank Koester 1876–1927 · urban planner
  • Frank Koester 1876–1927 · urban planner
  • Willy Koester 1902–1950 · composer
  • Walter Köster 1904–1988 · photographer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Koester,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,755 records

1,755 records of the Koester name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,150
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 201
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 197
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 83
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 67
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 55
  • Ramsey County (Minnesota) Memorial Hall, war dead 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Harvey H. Koester

    Born 1914 in Wisconsin. Enlisted 1941 at Milwaukee; bookkeeper from Milwaukee County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1974, buried at Wood National Cemetery, Wisconsin.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Johannes Koester

    Arrived at New York in 1886 aboard the Elbe from Bremen, aged 26; teacher. From Bremen, Germany; bound for Pennsylvania.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Joel Frederick Koester

    Born 1949; from Phoenix, Arizona. U.S. Marine Corps, assaultman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,755 records for Koester in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Netherlands74 records

74 records of the Koester name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 33
  • Dutch population registers 27
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 14
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johanna Koester

    Married in 1817 in Brouwershaven; labourer. Died 1860 in Brouwershaven, aged 73.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jean Gaspard Koester

    Married in 1854 in Rotterdam. Died 1859 in Rotterdam, aged 49.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Maria Geertruid Koester

    Born 1824 in Borculo. Died 1871 in Borculo, aged 46; labourer.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 74 records for Koester in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Germany57 records

57 records of the Koester name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hans Koester

    From Norden, Aurich. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 4 October 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 27).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Richard Koester

    From Alt Damm, Randow. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 26 November 1917.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 57 records for Koester in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France13 records

13 records of the Koester name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Philippe Charles Koester

    Born 1905 in Imling (Moselle); died 1971 in Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Emilie Madeleine Koester

    Born 1891 in Strasbourg; died 1975 in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gerhard Koester

    Born 1927 in Germany; died 1994 in Réding (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Koester in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Canada7 records

7 records of the Koester name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 6
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Raymond Earl Koester

    Buried in 1975 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 70.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record James Victor Koester

    Died in service in 1945.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ida Josephine Koester

    Buried in 1975 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 92.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 7 records for Koester in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia1 record

1 record of the Koester name in Australia Queensland State Archives indexes
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record H. W. Koester

    Naturalised in Queensland in 1883.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Koester.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Koester 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.

See the Koester volume
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