2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mergendahl
A surname of German origin meaning "meadow valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Mergendahl. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mergendahl 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Mergendahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mergendahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mergendahl
The surname MERGENDAHL is of German origin, originating in the regions of northern Germany and Scandinavia around the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German words "mergen" meaning "morning" and "dahl" meaning "valley" or "dale." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a valley or worked in a valley during the morning hours.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MERGENDAHL surname dates back to the late 15th century in the city of Lübeck, Germany. An entry in the city's records from 1489 mentions a merchant named Hans MERGENDAHL who traded goods between Lübeck and the Baltic regions.
In the 16th century, the MERGENDAHL surname appeared in various forms, such as MERGENDAL, MERGEDAL, and MERGEDAHL, in records from various towns and villages in northern Germany and southern Scandinavia. This suggests that the name may have had regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
Notable individuals with the MERGENDAHL surname throughout history include:
1. Johann MERGENDAHL (1555-1623), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
2. Christoph MERGENDAHL (1610-1678), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on the Protestant Reformation and its impact on religious practices.
3. Maria MERGENDAHL (1725-1802), a Swedish artist and painter known for her portraits and still-life paintings, which were highly sought after by the Swedish nobility.
4. Heinrich MERGENDAHL (1818-1891), a German historian and professor at the University of Göttingen, who published several influential works on the history of the Holy Roman Empire.
5. Elise MERGENDAHL (1867-1942), a Norwegian educator and women's rights activist who played a significant role in the establishment of several schools for girls in Oslo.
While the MERGENDAHL surname is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and has been associated with individuals from various professions, including merchants, artists, theologians, historians, and educators.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mergendahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Mergendahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Mergendahl 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 Mergendahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mergendahl
Mergendahl 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
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,931 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 1,931 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 Mergendahl 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 | #146,201 | #144,270 | 1.3% |
| Count | 113 | 117 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mergendahl bearers went from 113 to 117 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 1,931 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #144,270.
FAQ
Mergendahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mergendahl?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Mergendahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Mergendahl?
Mergendahl ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Mergendahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Mergendahl.
Has Mergendahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mergendahl went from 113 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 4 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Mergendahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mergendahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (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 Mergendahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mergendahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (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 Mergendahl (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 Mergendahl mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "meadow valley". 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 Mergendahl (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 Mergendahl?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Mergendahl on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.