2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nesdahl
A Norwegian surname derived from a place name meaning "valley of the farm" or "narrow valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Nesdahl. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nesdahl 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Nesdahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nesdahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nesdahl
The surname "NESDAHL" is of Norwegian origin, originating from the northwestern region of Norway in the early 19th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "nes" meaning "headland" or "promontory" and "dal" meaning "valley," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in a valley near a headland or promontory.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "NESDAHL" can be found in the Norwegian census records from the late 18th century, where it appears as "Nesdal." This spelling variation indicates that the name was likely phonetically transcribed from the local dialect in different regions of Norway.
In the mid-19th century, a notable figure bearing the name "NESDAHL" was Nils Nesdahl, a Norwegian farmer and landowner born in 1824 in the Møre og Romsdal region of Norway. He is credited with establishing one of the first successful dairy farms in the area, which helped spur the growth of the dairy industry in that region.
Another historical figure with the surname "NESDAHL" was Anna Nesdahl, a Norwegian-American educator who lived from 1865 to 1948. She immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and became a prominent advocate for Norwegian-American education, establishing several Norwegian-language schools in Minnesota and North Dakota.
In the early 20th century, a notable figure named Olav Nesdahl, born in 1887 in Norway, gained recognition as a pioneer in the field of aviation. He was one of the first Norwegians to obtain a pilot's license and played a significant role in the development of aviation in Norway during the early years of flight.
Additionally, the name "NESDAHL" can be found in historical records from the late 19th and early 20th centuries in various parts of the United States, particularly in areas with a significant Norwegian immigrant population, such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. This suggests that individuals with this surname likely emigrated from Norway during the peak of Norwegian immigration to the United States.
While the surname "NESDAHL" is not as common as some other Norwegian surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by notable individuals throughout the centuries, reflecting the cultural heritage and contributions of Norwegian immigrants to various regions of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nesdahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Nesdahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nesdahl 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 Nesdahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 98
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nesdahl
Nesdahl 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
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-9 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,875 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 5,875 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 Nesdahl 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 | #149,395 | #155,270 | -3.9% |
| Count | 110 | 101 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nesdahl bearers went from 110 to 101 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 5,875 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #155,270.
FAQ
Nesdahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nesdahl?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Nesdahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Nesdahl?
Nesdahl ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Nesdahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), 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 Nesdahl.
Has Nesdahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nesdahl went from 110 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Nesdahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nesdahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Nesdahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nesdahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Nesdahl (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 Nesdahl mean?
A Norwegian surname derived from a place name meaning "valley of the farm" or "narrow 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 Nesdahl (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 common is the surname Nesdahl?
You can see how many people are called Nesdahl on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.