2000
#7,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,303
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.60
Rare Last name
Pahl
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the personal name Paul or the German word "Pfahlbürger," meaning "fence citizen."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,070 Americans carry the last name Pahl. That puts it at #8,860 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pahl 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
4.1K
1 in 84,215
Census rank
#8,860
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,549 bearers of the surname Pahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8860th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pahl
The surname PAHL originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "pahl" meaning "pole" or "stake," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a boundary marker or worked as a carpenter or builder.
PAHL is believed to have first appeared in records from the 12th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in a manuscript from 1286, which mentions a certain Konrad Pahl from the town of Augsburg.
In the 14th century, the name began to spread across other parts of Germany, with records showing variations such as Pahle, Pahl, and Pahlen. This period also saw the emergence of notable individuals bearing the PAHL surname, including Johannes Pahl, a merchant from Lübeck who was born around 1350.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the PAHL name continued to gain prominence, with several families establishing themselves in various regions. One noteworthy figure was Christoph Pahl (1547-1612), a Lutheran theologian and writer from Saxony who published several works on religious topics.
In the 18th century, the PAHL surname began to spread beyond Germany, with some bearers migrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One such individual was Johann Georg Pahl (1768-1839), a German settler who arrived in Pennsylvania in the early 1800s and established a successful farming community.
Other notable individuals with the PAHL surname throughout history include:
1. Johann Pahl (1717-1784), a German architect and builder who designed several churches and public buildings in the Baroque style.
2. Friedrich Pahl (1859-1924), a German politician and member of the Reichstag during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
3. Max Pahl (1884-1964), a German artist and painter known for his landscapes and still-life works.
4. Wilhelm Pahl (1901-1988), a German engineer and inventor who held numerous patents for innovations in automotive technology.
5. Gerhard Pahl (1925-2012), a German engineer and professor who made significant contributions to the field of engineering design methodology.
While the PAHL surname has its roots in medieval Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with bearers contributing to various fields and professions throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Pahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Pahl 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 Pahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 3,254
- Two or more races3.0% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 103
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 61
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pahl
Pahl 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
#8,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,864
-439 bearers (-10.2%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Down 1,363 places
2020
#8,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,549
-315 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 342 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,155 | 4,303 | 1.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,518 | 3,864 | 1.31 | -439 bearers (-10.2%) | Down 1,363 places |
| 2020 | #8,860 | 3,549 | 1.19 | -315 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 342 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 Pahl 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 | #8,518 | #8,860 | -4.0% |
| Count | 3,864 | 3,549 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.31 | 1.19 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pahl bearers went from 3,864 to 3,549 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 342 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,518 to #8,860.
FAQ
Pahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pahl?
Name Census estimates that about 4,070 living Americans carry the surname Pahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,215 residents.
How common is Pahl?
Pahl ranks #8,860 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,549 people with the surname Pahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,070), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Pahl.
Has Pahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pahl went from 3,864 recorded bearers to 3,549. That is a decrease of 315 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,518 to #8,860.
What does the Census say about the background of Pahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Pahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (3,254 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Pahl (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 Pahl mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the personal name Paul or the German word "Pfahlbürger," meaning "fence citizen." 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 Pahl (1.19 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 Pahl?
Find out how common the surname Pahl is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.