2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Leedahl
A variant form of the English locational surname Leadale.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Leedahl. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leedahl 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Leedahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leedahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leedahl
The surname Leedahl originated in Norway during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse words "lið" meaning "people" and "dal" meaning "valley." This suggests that the name may have been a descriptive one referring to a person or family living in a populated valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Leedahl can be found in a Norwegian census from the late 13th century, where it is spelled "Lidadal." This variation likely evolved over time into the modern spelling of Leedahl.
In the 16th century, there are records of a Leedahl family residing in the Gudbrandsdalen valley of central Norway. This region was known for its fertile farmland and prosperous agricultural communities, which may have contributed to the name's associations with a populated valley.
During the Viking Age, a Norwegian warrior and explorer named Thorvald Leedahl is said to have accompanied Erik the Red on his journey to Greenland in the late 10th century. Although historical details about Thorvald's life are scarce, his name appears in several Icelandic sagas and manuscripts from that time period.
In the 17th century, a prominent Norwegian scholar and theologian named Hans Leedahl (1620-1688) made significant contributions to the field of religious studies. He authored several influential works on Lutheran theology and served as a pastor in the town of Trondheim.
Another notable figure with the surname Leedahl was Ingrid Leedahl (1845-1921), a Norwegian novelist and playwright. She was a pioneering voice in the literary world and her works often explored themes of women's rights and societal norms.
In the 19th century, the Leedahl name can be found in records from the town of Lillehammer, located in the Gudbrandsdalen valley. This region may have been the ancestral home of many Leedahl families over the centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname in the United States dates back to the late 19th century, when a man named Ole Leedahl immigrated from Norway to Minnesota in 1887. He worked as a farmer and eventually settled in the town of Spring Grove.
Throughout its history, the surname Leedahl has maintained strong ties to its Norwegian origins, reflecting the cultural and geographic roots of those who bore this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leedahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Leedahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Leedahl 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 Leedahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 103
- Two or more races7.0% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leedahl
Leedahl appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 758 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 758 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 Leedahl 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 | #147,253 | #146,495 | 0.5% |
| Count | 112 | 114 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leedahl bearers went from 112 to 114 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 758 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #146,495.
FAQ
Leedahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leedahl?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Leedahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Leedahl?
Leedahl ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Leedahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Leedahl.
Has Leedahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leedahl went from 112 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Leedahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leedahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Leedahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leedahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Two or More Races (7.0%), Black (0.9%). 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 Leedahl (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 Leedahl mean?
A variant form of the English locational surname Leadale. 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 Leedahl (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 are called Leedahl?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Leedahl on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.