2000
#8,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,561
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Lindahl
A Swedish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a linden tree or linden grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,953 Americans carry the last name Lindahl. That puts it at #9,108 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,707 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lindahl 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
4.0K
1 in 86,707
Census rank
#9,108
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,447 bearers of the surname Lindahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9108th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lindahl
The surname Lindahl has its origins in Sweden and is derived from the combination of the Swedish words "lind" meaning lime tree and "dal" meaning valley. It is believed to have emerged as a locative surname, referring to someone who lived in a valley where lime trees grew.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lindahl surname can be found in the Swedish Census Rolls from the late 16th century, where it was spelled as "Lindahl" or "Lindhall". This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of Sweden by that time.
In the 17th century, the Lindahl name appears in various church records and parish registers across different regions of Sweden, indicating its spread and prevalence among Swedish families during that period.
An early notable bearer of the Lindahl surname was Johan Lindahl (1629-1696), a Swedish clergyman and theologian who served as the Archbishop of Uppsala from 1689 until his death. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Church of Sweden after the Protestant Reformation.
Another prominent figure with the Lindahl surname was Carl Fredrik Lindahl (1801-1887), a Swedish architect best known for his design of the Stockholm Palace. His works significantly influenced the architectural landscape of Stockholm and other parts of Sweden in the 19th century.
In the realm of literature, Tora Lindahl (1838-1916) was a notable Swedish writer and feminist who advocated for women's rights and education. She published several novels and short stories that explored themes of gender equality and social issues.
Moving into the 20th century, Arvid Lindahl (1892-1958) was a renowned Swedish economist and politician who served as the Minister of Finance from 1948 to 1951. He made significant contributions to the development of Sweden's welfare state and economic policies.
More recently, Tomas Lindahl (born 1938) is a Swedish chemist and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry (2015) for his groundbreaking work on DNA repair mechanisms. His discoveries have had a profound impact on the understanding of cancer and aging processes.
Throughout its history, the Lindahl surname has maintained a strong presence in Sweden and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including academics, artists, politicians, and professionals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lindahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lindahl 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 Lindahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 3,171
- Two or more races3.5% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 20
- Black or African American0.5% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lindahl
Lindahl 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
#9,081
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,599
+38 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 562 places
2020
#9,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,447
-152 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,519 | 3,561 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,081 | 3,599 | 1.22 | +38 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 562 places |
| 2020 | #9,108 | 3,447 | 1.15 | -152 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 27 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 Lindahl 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 | #9,081 | #9,108 | -0.3% |
| Count | 3,599 | 3,447 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.15 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lindahl bearers went from 3,599 to 3,447 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,081 to #9,108.
FAQ
Lindahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lindahl?
Name Census estimates that about 3,953 living Americans carry the surname Lindahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,707 residents.
How common is Lindahl?
Lindahl ranks #9,108 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 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 3,447 people with the surname Lindahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,953), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 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 Lindahl.
Has Lindahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lindahl went from 3,599 recorded bearers to 3,447. That is a decrease of 152 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,081 to #9,108.
What does the Census say about the background of Lindahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Lindahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (3,171 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lindahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Lindahl (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 Lindahl mean?
A Swedish toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a linden tree or linden grove. 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 Lindahl (1.15 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 share the surname Lindahl?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.