Find out how popular the last name Jordahl is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jordahl.

Jordahl, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jordahl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jordahl in America

Jordahl is the 24466th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jordahl surname appeared 1,023 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Jordahl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jordahl to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Jordahl

The surname JORDAHL is of Scandinavian origin, specifically Norwegian. It is believed to have originated in the rural regions of western and central Norway during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.

The name JORDAHL is a compound word derived from the Old Norse elements "jorð" meaning "earth" or "land" and "dalr" meaning "valley" or "dale". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived or owned land in a particular valley or dale.

Some of the earliest recorded examples of the JORDAHL surname can be found in Norwegian parish records dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. These records often show variations in spelling, such as Jordal, Jordahl, and Jordalen, reflecting the regional dialects and evolving orthography of the time.

One notable historical figure with the JORDAHL surname was Hans Jordahl (1599-1672), a Norwegian farmer and landowner from Gudbrandsdalen, who is mentioned in local records as a prominent member of the community.

In the 19th century, the JORDAHL surname began to spread beyond Norway as individuals with this name emigrated to other parts of the world, particularly to the United States and Canada. Among these emigrants was Ole Jordahl (1818-1902), who settled in Wisconsin and became a successful farmer and landowner.

Another prominent individual with the JORDAHL surname was Gustav Jordahl (1870-1944), a Norwegian-American artist known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the American West. He was born in Voss, Norway, and later immigrated to the United States, where he lived and worked in California.

Other notable individuals with the JORDAHL surname include Sverre Jordahl (1907-1990), a Norwegian politician and member of the Storting (Norwegian parliament), and Arne Jordahl (1913-2006), a Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to higher education institutions in the United States.

While the JORDAHL surname may not be as widely known as some other Norwegian surnames, it has a rich history and connection to the rural landscapes and valleys of Norway, reflecting the country's cultural heritage and traditions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jordahl

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jordahl.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jordahl was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jordahl has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Jordahl was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jordahl, please contact us.

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