2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Grundahl
A German surname derived from "grund" meaning "ground" and "ahl" meaning "alder tree".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 146 Americans carry the last name Grundahl. That puts it at #136,807 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,347,632 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grundahl 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
146
1 in 2,347,632
Census rank
#136,807
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
127
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 127 bearers of the surname Grundahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 136807th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grundahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grundahl
The surname Grundahl is of Scandinavian origin, specifically from Denmark. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old Norse words "grund" meaning "ground" or "foundation," and "ahl" or "holl," meaning "hill" or "mound." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived on or near a particular hill or elevated ground.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Grundahl name appears in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomatic documents, where it is mentioned in a land grant from the year 1328. The name is also found in several Danish parish records from the 16th and 17th centuries, with spellings such as "Grundahl," "Grundahll," and "Grundahl."
A notable figure bearing the Grundahl surname was Hans Grundahl (1603-1672), a Danish merchant and ship owner based in Copenhagen. He played a significant role in the city's maritime trade during the 17th century. Another historical figure was Niels Grundahl (1674-1737), a Danish prelate who served as the Bishop of Viborg in Jutland from 1722 until his death.
In the 19th century, Jens Grundahl (1821-1897) was a Danish author and poet who wrote several works celebrating rural life and the beauty of the Danish countryside. His collection of poems, "Idyllic Verses," published in 1860, was particularly well-received.
Moving into the 20th century, Ingrid Grundahl (1901-1985) was a Danish painter and ceramicist known for her colorful, modernist works. She studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and had several successful exhibitions in Copenhagen and other European cities.
Another notable figure was Erik Grundahl (1923-2005), a Danish architect who designed several prominent buildings in Copenhagen, including the Bella Center convention complex and the Grundahl Hospital. His innovative use of concrete and glass in his architectural designs earned him international recognition.
While the Grundahl surname is most common in Denmark, it has also been found in other Scandinavian countries, such as Norway and Sweden, likely due to migration patterns throughout the region over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grundahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Grundahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grundahl 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 Grundahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 126
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grundahl
Grundahl 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
#123,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
+15 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 3,336 places
2020
#136,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-13 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,743 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,064 | 140 | 0.05 | +15 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 3,336 places |
| 2020 | #136,807 | 127 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 13,743 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 Grundahl 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 | #123,064 | #136,807 | -11.2% |
| Count | 140 | 127 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -15.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grundahl bearers went from 140 to 127 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 13,743 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,064 to #136,807.
FAQ
Grundahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grundahl?
Name Census estimates that about 146 living Americans carry the surname Grundahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,347,632 residents.
How common is Grundahl?
Grundahl ranks #136,807 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 127 people with the surname Grundahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (146), 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 Grundahl.
Has Grundahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grundahl went from 140 recorded bearers to 127. That is a decrease of 13 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,064 to #136,807.
What does the Census say about the background of Grundahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grundahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Grundahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (126 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grundahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Grundahl (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 Grundahl mean?
A German surname derived from "grund" meaning "ground" and "ahl" meaning "alder tree". 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 Grundahl (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 are called Grundahl?
Find out how many people have the last name Grundahl on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.