2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Daehling
Of German origin, a surname derived from a personal name or nickname meaning "darling" or "little dear one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Daehling. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Daehling 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Daehling in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Daehling, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Daehling
The surname "DAEHLING" is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "daehl" or "dahl," which means "valley" or "dell," and the suffix "-ing," which often denotes a location or place of origin.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name was spelled in various ways, such as "Dahling," "Daehling," or "Daehlinger." These variations suggest that the name may have referred to someone who lived in or near a valley or dell.
One of the earliest documented references to the name "DAEHLING" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Hans DAEHLING was recorded as a prominent landowner and merchant in the city of Nuremberg. He lived from approximately 1420 to 1488 and played a significant role in the city's economic and political affairs during that period.
Another historical figure bearing this surname was Friedrich DAEHLING, a German philosopher and educator who lived from 1670 to 1748. He was known for his contributions to the field of pedagogy and his works on educational theory.
In the 18th century, a prominent military figure named Johann DAEHLING served as a general in the Prussian army during the reign of Frederick the Great. He was born in 1712 and died in 1784, and his military exploits were widely documented in historical accounts of the time.
During the 19th century, a notable artist named Wilhelm DAEHLING gained recognition for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in Germany. He was born in 1825 and died in 1895, and his works can be found in several prestigious art collections.
The name "DAEHLING" has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany, such as Daehlingsfeld, Daehlingsheim, and Daehlingsbach, further reinforcing its connection to geographic locations and topographical features.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Daehling
Among Census respondents with the surname Daehling, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Daehling 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 Daehling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 99
- Black or African American3.7% · 4
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Daehling
Daehling 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+24 bearers (+22.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,529 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-21 bearers (-16.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,556 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +24 bearers (+22.9%) | Up 13,529 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -21 bearers (-16.3%) | Down 19,556 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 Daehling 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 | #131,379 | #150,935 | -14.9% |
| Count | 129 | 108 | -16.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Daehling bearers went from 129 to 108 (-16.3% change). The surname moved down 19,556 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #150,935.
FAQ
Daehling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Daehling?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Daehling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Daehling?
Daehling ranks #150,935 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 108 people with the surname Daehling. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Daehling.
Has Daehling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Daehling went from 129 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 21 (-16.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Daehling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Daehling, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Daehling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Daehling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Black (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Daehling (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 Daehling mean?
Of German origin, a surname derived from a personal name or nickname meaning "darling" or "little dear one". 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 Daehling (0.04 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 Daehling?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.