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

Vahl, 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 Vahl surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Vahl in America

Vahl is the 55505th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Vahl surname appeared 370 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 Vahl.

We can also compare 2010 data for Vahl 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 Vahl

The surname VAHL is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "val," which means "fallow" or "faded." This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a pale complexion or light hair color.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name VAHL can be found in the Kirchenbuch (church book) of the town of Dortmund, which dates back to the late 1500s. In this record, a man named Hans VAHL is mentioned as a resident of the town.

The VAHL surname is also linked to several place names in Germany, particularly in the regions of Rhineland and Westphalia. For instance, there is a small village called Vahl in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein, which may have contributed to the surname's origin.

In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name VAHL was Johann Martin VAHL, a German botanist and naturalist who lived from 1724 to 1804. He made significant contributions to the field of botany and was the founder of the Botanical Garden in Copenhagen.

Another prominent individual with the VAHL surname was Gustav VAHL, a Danish Orientalist and linguist who lived from 1909 to 1994. He was a renowned scholar in the field of Iranian studies and authored several works on the Persian language and literature.

In the 19th century, Carl Frederik VAHL, a Danish botanist and plant collector, made his mark with his extensive collections of plant specimens from various regions, including the West Indies and South America. He lived from 1794 to 1838.

Martin VAHL, a German-born American engineer and inventor, is also noteworthy. Born in 1857, he is credited with developing the first successful electric motor used in industrial applications, which paved the way for the widespread use of electric motors in various industries.

Lastly, Jens Theodor Christian VAHL, a Danish botanist and mycologist, lived from 1796 to 1854. He made significant contributions to the study of fungi and was known for his work on the classification and nomenclature of fungi species.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Vahl

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

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

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

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