Find out how popular the last name Nahal is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nahal.

Nahal, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nahal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nahal in America

Nahal is the 69996th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nahal surname appeared 280 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nahal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nahal to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Nahal

The surname NAHAL is believed to have originated in India, specifically in the northern region of Punjab. It traces its roots back to the 16th century and is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "nāhala," which means "stream" or "rivulet." This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who lived near or worked with water bodies such as rivers or streams.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the NAHAL surname can be found in the Mughal imperial records from the late 16th century. These records mention a certain Malik Nahal, who was a landowner and influential figure in the village of Sirhind, located in present-day Punjab.

During the medieval period, the NAHAL surname was also found in various administrative and revenue records maintained by local rulers and officials. For instance, a document from the 17th century refers to a Nahal Singh, who served as a tax collector in the region of Lahore.

In the 18th century, the NAHAL name appears in the chronicles of the Sikh Empire, where a notable figure named Sardar Nahal Singh (1760-1823) is mentioned as a prominent military commander and advisor to the legendary Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Another notable individual with the NAHAL surname was Lala Nahal Chand (1825-1891), a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Amritsar, Punjab. He was instrumental in establishing educational institutions and promoting social reforms in the region.

Moving into the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the NAHAL surname was Kanwal Nahal (1919-2005), an eminent Punjabi writer and poet. He was honored with the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1970 for his literary contributions.

It is worth noting that variations of the NAHAL surname, such as Nahl, Nahal, and Nahala, can also be found in various historical records and documents from different parts of the Indian subcontinent, reflecting the diverse linguistic and cultural influences in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nahal

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nahal.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nahal was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nahal has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nahal was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nahal, please contact us.

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