2000
#13,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,061
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Dahlen
From a Swedish place name, likely referring to a valley or hiding place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,288 Americans carry the last name Dahlen. That puts it at #14,416 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,805 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dahlen 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
2.3K
1 in 149,805
Census rank
#14,416
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,995 bearers of the surname Dahlen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14416th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dahlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dahlen
The surname Dahlen originated in Germany, emerging during the Middle Ages between the 11th and 15th centuries. It is derived from the Old German word "dal," meaning valley, and likely referred to someone who lived in or near a valley. The name was initially spelled as "Dalen" or "Dahlen," with variations such as "Dahl" and "Dael" also appearing in historical records.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dahlen can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval Saxon documents from the 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Theodericus de Dalen," suggesting the name's existence during that time period.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Urbarium of the Cistercian Abbey of Eberbach in Rheingau, Germany, where a certain "Hartmudus Dalen" was listed as a tenant farmer. This record provides evidence of the name's usage in the region during the Late Middle Ages.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Dahlen throughout history include:
1. Johannes Dahlen (1570-1628), a German Lutheran theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.
2. Andreas Dahlen (1711-1789), a Swedish botanist and explorer who accompanied the renowned naturalist Carl Linnaeus on several expeditions and contributed to the classification of numerous plant species.
3. Friedrich Konrad Dahlen (1837-1909), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin, including the German State Library and the former Reichsbank building.
4. Gustaf Dahlen (1834-1900), a Swedish industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Dahlen Ironworks, one of the largest iron and steel companies in Sweden during the 19th century.
5. Erich Dahlen (1900-1973), a German aviation engineer who played a significant role in the development of several German aircraft during World War II, including the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters.
The surname Dahlen has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany and Scandinavia, such as Dahlen (a town in Saxony, Germany), Dahlen (a municipality in Brandenburg, Germany), and Dahlen (a locality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dahlen
Among Census respondents with the surname Dahlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Dahlen 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 Dahlen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 1,841
- Two or more races2.8% · 56
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 11
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dahlen
Dahlen 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
#14,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,999
-62 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,305 places
2020
#14,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,995
-4 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 411 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,522 | 2,061 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,827 | 1,999 | 0.68 | -62 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 1,305 places |
| 2020 | #14,416 | 1,995 | 0.67 | -4 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 411 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 Dahlen 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 | #14,827 | #14,416 | 2.8% |
| Count | 1,999 | 1,995 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.67 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dahlen bearers went from 1,999 to 1,995 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 411 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,827 to #14,416.
FAQ
Dahlen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dahlen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,288 living Americans carry the surname Dahlen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,805 residents.
How common is Dahlen?
Dahlen ranks #14,416 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,995 people with the surname Dahlen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,288), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dahlen.
Has Dahlen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dahlen went from 1,999 recorded bearers to 1,995. That is a decrease of 4 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,827 to #14,416.
What does the Census say about the background of Dahlen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dahlen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Dahlen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,841 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dahlen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Dahlen (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 Dahlen mean?
From a Swedish place name, likely referring to a valley or hiding place. 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 Dahlen (0.67 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 Dahlen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.