Find out how popular the last name Dahl is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dahl.

Dahl, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dahl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dahl in America

Dahl is the 1669th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dahl surname appeared 21,598 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Dahl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dahl to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dahl

The surname DAHL has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Sweden. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse word "dalr," which means "valley" or "dale." This suggests that the name was initially given to people who lived in or near a valley or a valley-like area.

The earliest recorded instances of the name DAHL can be traced back to the 13th century in medieval Scandinavian records and documents. One notable example is the mention of a person named Thorvald Dahl in the Icelandic Annals from the year 1257.

In the 14th century, the name DAHL appeared in various forms, such as Dael, Daell, and Dael, in Norwegian and Swedish records. This variation in spelling was common during that time period due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.

The name DAHL has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest and most famous was Nils Dahl, a Norwegian bishop and scholar who lived from 1508 to 1589. He played a significant role in the reformation of the Church of Norway and was also known for his work in translating the Bible into Norwegian.

Another prominent figure with the surname DAHL was Johan Christian Clausen Dahl, a Norwegian painter born in 1788. He is considered one of the founders of the Norwegian romantic nationalist painting tradition and is renowned for his landscape paintings depicting the Norwegian countryside.

In the literary world, Roald Dahl, the famous British author, was born in 1916 to Norwegian parents. His works, such as "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Matilda," and "The BFG," have captivated generations of readers worldwide.

Moving to the 20th century, Ingrid Dahl, a Swedish actress born in 1912, gained international recognition for her roles in several Hollywood films, including "Casablanca" and "Gaslight." She was also known for her philanthropic work and her advocacy for various causes.

Additionally, the surname DAHL has been associated with several historical places and locations. For instance, the Dahl Township in Minnesota, United States, was named after a Norwegian settler named Hans Dahl, who was one of the first pioneers in the area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dahl

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dahl.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dahl was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dahl has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dahl was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dahl, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!