2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Tommerdahl
A surname derived from a Norwegian place name meaning "valley of Thomas".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Tommerdahl. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tommerdahl 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Tommerdahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tommerdahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tommerdahl
The surname Tommerdahl has its origins in the Scandinavian countries, particularly Norway. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from an Old Norse or Old Danish word, potentially referring to a topographical feature or occupation.
One theory suggests that the name Tommerdahl may have originated from the Old Norse words "timbr" meaning "timber" and "dalr" meaning "valley," indicating that the name could have been given to someone who lived in a valley abundant with timber resources. Alternatively, it may have been an occupational name for someone involved in the timber trade or forestry.
While records from that era are scarce, the earliest known mentions of the name Tommerdahl can be traced back to the late 16th century in Norwegian parish registers and census records. Some of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname include Hans Tommerdahl (born around 1560) from Trondheim, and Bjørn Tommerdahl (born around 1575) from Bergen.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various documents, including court records and land deeds. One notable figure from this period was Knut Tommerdahl (1623-1698), a prominent merchant and landowner from Stavanger, who played a significant role in the local economy.
As the centuries passed, the Tommerdahl name spread across Scandinavia, and some members of the family migrated to other parts of Europe and North America. In the 19th century, Johan Tommerdahl (1812-1885), a Norwegian-born farmer, settled in Wisconsin, United States, and established a family line there.
Another individual of note was Anna Tommerdahl (1856-1932), a Norwegian-American author and educator, who wrote several books on Norwegian culture and traditions. She played a crucial role in preserving and promoting her heritage in the United States.
One of the most famous individuals with the Tommerdahl surname was Nils Tommerdahl (1879-1957), a Norwegian explorer and adventurer. He was part of the ill-fated Endurance expedition to Antarctica led by Sir Ernest Shackleton in 1914-1916, and his accounts of the journey provided valuable insights into the challenges faced by the crew.
Throughout its history, the Tommerdahl name has maintained its strong ties to Scandinavia, particularly Norway, where it remains a well-known surname to this day.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tommerdahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Tommerdahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tommerdahl 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 Tommerdahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 112
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tommerdahl
Tommerdahl 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-20 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 27,756 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+10 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,358 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 27,756 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 8,358 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 Tommerdahl 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 | #152,628 | #144,270 | 5.5% |
| Count | 107 | 117 | 9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tommerdahl bearers went from 107 to 117 (+9.3% change). The surname moved up 8,358 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #144,270.
FAQ
Tommerdahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tommerdahl?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Tommerdahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Tommerdahl?
Tommerdahl ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Tommerdahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Tommerdahl.
Has Tommerdahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tommerdahl went from 107 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 10 (+9.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Tommerdahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tommerdahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Tommerdahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tommerdahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Black (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Tommerdahl (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 Tommerdahl mean?
A surname derived from a Norwegian place name meaning "valley of Thomas". 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 Tommerdahl (0.04 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 Tommerdahl?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Tommerdahl? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.