2000
#13,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Juhl
A Danish and Norwegian habitational surname derived from the Middle Low German word "juul," meaning "Christmas" or "yule."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,413 Americans carry the last name Juhl. That puts it at #13,768 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,045 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Juhl 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
2.4K
1 in 142,045
Census rank
#13,768
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,104 bearers of the surname Juhl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13768th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Juhl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Juhl
The surname Juhl originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded origins dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "juhil," which means a small hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived on or near a hillock or elevated land.
The name Juhl is predominantly found in northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg. It is believed to have first emerged in these areas during the 12th or 13th century. Some variations of the spelling include Juhll, Jühl, and Juehle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Juhl can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to the 14th century. In these records, a certain Hinrich Juhl is mentioned as a landowner in the year 1387.
Another notable early reference to the name Juhl is in the Lübecker Oberstadtbuch, a chronicle from the city of Lübeck, where a merchant named Hans Juhl is mentioned in the year 1462.
Over the centuries, several individuals with the surname Juhl have made their mark in various fields. One such individual was Johann Juhl (1678-1742), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Juhl (1832-1905), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in the city of Hamburg, including the Hamburger Kunsthalle (Hamburg Art Gallery).
In the field of academia, Karl Juhl (1877-1949) was a respected German mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of algebraic geometry.
Moving to the literary world, Herta Juhl (1899-1985) was a German writer and poet who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of love, nature, and spirituality.
Finally, in more recent times, the name Juhl is associated with the Danish-American industrial designer and architect Morten Juhl (1938-2005), whose sleek and minimalist furniture designs have gained international acclaim.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Juhl
Among Census respondents with the surname Juhl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Juhl 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 Juhl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 1,972
- Two or more races2.7% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Juhl
Juhl 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
#13,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,177
+54 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 680 places
2020
#13,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,104
-73 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,194 | 2,123 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,874 | 2,177 | 0.74 | +54 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 680 places |
| 2020 | #13,768 | 2,104 | 0.70 | -73 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 106 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 Juhl 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 | #13,874 | #13,768 | 0.8% |
| Count | 2,177 | 2,104 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.70 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Juhl bearers went from 2,177 to 2,104 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 106 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,874 to #13,768.
FAQ
Juhl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Juhl?
Name Census estimates that about 2,413 living Americans carry the surname Juhl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,045 residents.
How common is Juhl?
Juhl ranks #13,768 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,104 people with the surname Juhl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,413), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Juhl.
Has Juhl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Juhl went from 2,177 recorded bearers to 2,104. That is a decrease of 73 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,874 to #13,768.
What does the Census say about the background of Juhl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Juhl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Juhl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (1,972 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Juhl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Juhl (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 Juhl mean?
A Danish and Norwegian habitational surname derived from the Middle Low German word "juul," meaning "Christmas" or "yule." 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 Juhl (0.70 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 Juhl?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Juhl at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.