2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Modahl
A Swedish surname derived from the German word "Muhtal" meaning valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Modahl. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Modahl 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Modahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Modahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Modahl
The surname Modahl has its origins traced back to Germany and Scandinavia. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "modhaull," which means "brave" or "courageous." This name was likely given to individuals who displayed these qualities or to warriors who fought bravely in battles.
In the early medieval period, the name was found in various regions of present-day Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Historical records from the 11th and 12th centuries mention individuals with the name Modahl, although the spelling variations were common during that time, including Modhall, Modhaul, and Modhul.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Modahl can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. The document, dated around 1190, mentions a nobleman named Henricus Modahl, who owned land in the region.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in several Icelandic sagas and manuscripts, indicating its presence in Scandinavia. One notable figure was Thorvald Modahl, an Icelandic explorer who was part of the Viking expeditions to Greenland and Vinland (present-day Newfoundland, Canada) in the late 10th century.
In the 15th century, the name Modahl was associated with a prominent family in the city of Lübeck, a major trading center in northern Germany. Johan Modahl (1425-1498) was a wealthy merchant and prominent member of the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe.
Another notable figure was Christoph Modahl (1555-1622), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the development of the Gregorian calendar.
In the 18th century, the name Modahl gained recognition through the work of Johann Georg Modahl (1711-1778), a German botanist and physician who made important discoveries in the field of plant taxonomy and classification.
As people migrated from Germany and Scandinavia to other parts of the world, the surname Modahl spread to different regions. Examples of individuals with this surname can be found in various historical records, including Hans Modahl (1879-1957), a Norwegian-American engineer and inventor, and Edith Modahl (1876-1942), a Swedish-American educator and philanthropist.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Modahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Modahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Modahl 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 Modahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Modahl
Modahl 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,352 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-17 bearers (-14.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 12,856 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 14,352 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.7%) | Down 12,856 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 Modahl 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 | #143,149 | #156,005 | -9.0% |
| Count | 116 | 99 | -14.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Modahl bearers went from 116 to 99 (-14.7% change). The surname moved down 12,856 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #156,005.
FAQ
Modahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Modahl?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Modahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Modahl?
Modahl ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Modahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Modahl.
Has Modahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Modahl went from 116 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 17 (-14.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Modahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Modahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Modahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Modahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Modahl (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 Modahl mean?
A Swedish surname derived from the German word "Muhtal" meaning 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 Modahl (0.03 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 have the last name Modahl?
You can see how many people are called Modahl on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.