2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Holdahl
A Scandinavian surname derived from a location or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Holdahl. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Holdahl 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Holdahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Holdahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Holdahl
The surname Holdahl is of Norwegian origin, with roots dating back to the Viking era. It is believed to have originated from the Old Norse words "holdr," meaning firm or steadfast, and "dalr," meaning valley. Holdahl was likely a name given to someone who lived in a firm or steadfast manner within a particular valley.
The earliest recorded instance of the Holdahl surname can be traced back to the 13th century, appearing in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomatic documents. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Thorvald Holdahl, a farmer from the Gudbrandsdalen region in central Norway, who was mentioned in a land deed from 1289.
In the 14th century, the name Holdahl appeared in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of stories depicting the lives and adventures of Norse settlers in Iceland. A notable figure was Ingrid Holdahl, born in 1312, who was renowned for her skills as a healer and herbalist.
During the 16th century, the Holdahl surname gained prominence in the region of Østerdalen, located in eastern Norway. Records from this period mention a family of landowners and farmers named Holdahl, who had holdings in the villages of Tynset and Tolga.
One of the most notable individuals with the Holdahl surname was Nils Holdahl, born in 1687 in Hedmark, Norway. He was a renowned explorer and fur trader who ventured into the Arctic regions of northern Norway and Russia, contributing to the expansion of trade routes and the mapping of uncharted territories.
In the 19th century, the Holdahl surname spread further across Norway, with many individuals bearing the name emigrating to other parts of Europe and North America. One such individual was Anders Holdahl, born in 1832 in Trøndelag, who immigrated to the United States in 1856 and settled in Minnesota, where he became a successful farmer and landowner.
Throughout history, the surname Holdahl has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, explorers, traders, and landowners. While the name's origins can be traced back to the Viking era, it has endured and spread across different regions, reflecting the rich cultural diversity and history of Norway.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Holdahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Holdahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Holdahl 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 Holdahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 102
Timeline
Historical Census data for Holdahl
Holdahl 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,104 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-13 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,614 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,104 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 10,614 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 Holdahl 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 | #144,141 | #154,755 | -7.4% |
| Count | 115 | 102 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Holdahl bearers went from 115 to 102 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 10,614 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #154,755.
FAQ
Holdahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Holdahl?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Holdahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Holdahl?
Holdahl ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Holdahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Holdahl.
Has Holdahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Holdahl went from 115 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Holdahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Holdahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Holdahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Holdahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Holdahl (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 Holdahl mean?
A Scandinavian surname derived from a location or place name. 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 Holdahl (0.03 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 have the surname Holdahl?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.