2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Imsdahl
A surname of Scandinavian origin, possibly derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Imsdahl. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Imsdahl 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Imsdahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Imsdahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Imsdahl
The surname Imsdahl is of German origin, derived from the Old German words "immen" meaning "bees" and "dahl" meaning "valley." It originates from the region of Bavaria in southern Germany, where there were many beekeepers in the valleys during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a document from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, dated 1412, which mentions a "Hans Imsdahl" as a local beekeeper. The name also appears in various church records and tax rolls from the 15th and 16th centuries in the villages around Nuremberg.
In the 17th century, the Imsdahl family spread to other parts of Germany, with some members moving to the Rhineland region. A notable figure from this time was Johann Imsdahl (1632-1701), a successful merchant and member of the city council in Cologne.
The name gained prominence in the 19th century with the birth of the composer and musician Wilhelm Imsdahl (1824-1892), who was known for his contributions to the development of German choral music. Another notable Imsdahl from this period was the philosopher and writer Karl Imsdahl (1853-1917), whose works explored the intersection of ethics and aesthetics.
In the early 20th century, the Imsdahl family produced several notable academics and scientists, including the physicist Hans Imsdahl (1879-1947), who made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics, and the botanist Gertrud Imsdahl (1902-1988), whose research focused on the study of alpine plants.
Historically, the name Imsdahl has been associated with various occupations related to beekeeping, agriculture, and the natural sciences, reflecting its origins in the rural regions of Bavaria. Despite its German roots, the name has spread to other parts of the world through immigration, with Imsdahls now found in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Imsdahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Imsdahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Imsdahl 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 Imsdahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino11.2% · 12
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Imsdahl
Imsdahl 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,906 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+4 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,595 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 7,906 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 5,595 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 Imsdahl 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 | #157,234 | #151,639 | 3.6% |
| Count | 103 | 107 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Imsdahl bearers went from 103 to 107 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 5,595 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #151,639.
FAQ
Imsdahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Imsdahl?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Imsdahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Imsdahl?
Imsdahl ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Imsdahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Imsdahl.
Has Imsdahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Imsdahl went from 103 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 4 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Imsdahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Imsdahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Imsdahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Imsdahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Hispanic (11.2%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Imsdahl (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 Imsdahl mean?
A surname of Scandinavian origin, possibly derived from a 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 Imsdahl (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 have the surname Imsdahl?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.