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

Ordahl, 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 Ordahl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ordahl in America

Ordahl is the 116201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ordahl surname appeared 150 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 Ordahl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ordahl 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 Ordahl

The surname Ordahl is of Nordic origin, specifically from Norway. It is believed to have emerged in the 13th or 14th century during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old Norse words "or," meaning "spear," and "dal," meaning "valley" or "dale." This suggests that the name may have originated from a location or settlement known for spear-making or warfare.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ordahl can be found in a Norwegian tax record from the year 1520, where a person named Olaf Ordahl was listed as a landowner in the region of Trøndelag. The name has also been spelled in various forms throughout history, including Ordal, Ordahl, and Ordale.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Bjørn Ordahl (born around 1540) was a prominent farmer and landowner in the Gudbrandsdalen valley of eastern Norway. His descendants carried on the Ordahl name for several generations in the same region.

During the 17th century, the name Ordahl appeared in church records from the parish of Eidsvoll, located in the county of Akershus, Norway. One entry from 1675 mentions a man named Halvor Ordahl, who served as a local official in the parish.

In the late 18th century, a Norwegian immigrant named Nils Ordahl (born around 1770) was among the first recorded individuals with the surname to settle in the United States. He arrived in the state of Wisconsin in the early 1800s and established a farm in what is now Dane County.

Another notable individual with the surname Ordahl was Hans Ordahl (1842-1924), a Norwegian-American farmer and businessman who became one of the wealthiest landowners in South Dakota. He played a significant role in the agricultural development of the state in the late 19th century.

Throughout history, the surname Ordahl has been associated with various occupations, including farming, landowners, and local officials. While the name is predominantly found in Norway and among Norwegian-American communities, it has also been recorded in other Nordic countries, such as Sweden and Denmark, likely due to migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ordahl

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

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 Ordahl 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 Ordahl 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 Ordahl was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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