2000
#54,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 357
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Hahl
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a hill or rise.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 566 Americans carry the last name Hahl. That puts it at #46,481 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 605,573 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hahl 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
566
1 in 605,573
Census rank
#46,481
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
494
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 494 bearers of the surname Hahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 46481st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hahl
The surname Hahl originates from Germany, with its roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "hahl," which means "hollow" or "valley." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals residing in or near a valley or hollow area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hahl can be found in the historical records of the town of Aachen, located in the western part of Germany. In the year 1567, a document mentions a certain Hans Hahl, a local tradesman who worked as a blacksmith.
During the 17th century, the Hahl name appeared to gain prominence in the region surrounding the city of Cologne. An entry in the church records of St. Maria im Kapitol from 1642 references a marriage between Johann Hahl and Anna Schmitz.
In the late 18th century, the Hahl surname is documented in the town of Münster, where a family of that name owned a successful brewing business. The patriarch, Friedrich Hahl (1753-1823), was a respected figure in the local community.
Moving into the 19th century, there are records of a notable German philosopher and theologian named Adolf Hahl (1824-1891). His writings on ethics and morality were widely influential during his time.
Another famous individual with the Hahl surname was Karl Hahl (1877-1945), a German colonial administrator who served as the governor of German New Guinea from 1914 to 1921. His tenure coincided with the transition of the territory to Australian control following World War I.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Hale, Hale, and Hael, have been observed throughout the historical records, likely due to regional dialects and phonetic variations over time.
While the Hahl surname is predominantly found in Germany, it has also been documented in neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland, suggesting that families carrying this name may have migrated across borders over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Hahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hahl 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 Hahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 436
- Black or African American6.7% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 11
- Two or more races2.0% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hahl
Hahl 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
#60,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 334
-23 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 6,195 places
2020
#46,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 494
+160 bearers (+47.9%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 13,866 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,152 | 357 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #60,347 | 334 | 0.11 | -23 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 6,195 places |
| 2020 | #46,481 | 494 | 0.17 | +160 bearers (+47.9%) | Up 13,866 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 Hahl 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 | #60,347 | #46,481 | 23.0% |
| Count | 334 | 494 | 47.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.17 | 50.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hahl bearers went from 334 to 494 (+47.9% change). The surname moved up 13,866 positions in the national ranking, going from #60,347 to #46,481.
FAQ
Hahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hahl?
Name Census estimates that about 566 living Americans carry the surname Hahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 605,573 residents.
How common is Hahl?
Hahl ranks #46,481 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 494 people with the surname Hahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (566), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Hahl.
Has Hahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hahl went from 334 recorded bearers to 494. That is an increase of 160 (+47.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #60,347 to #46,481.
What does the Census say about the background of Hahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Hahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (436 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Black (6.7%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Hahl (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 Hahl mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a hill or rise. 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 Hahl (0.17 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 Hahl?
See how many people have the last name Hahl on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.