2000
#2,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,933
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.79
Uncommon Last name
Wahl
Derived from Middle High German "wal," referring to someone who came from a Romance-speaking country, particularly Italy or France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,582 Americans carry the last name Wahl. That puts it at #2,760 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,505 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wahl 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Wahl with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,505
Census rank
#2,760
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,716 bearers of the surname Wahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2760th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wahl
The surname WAHL is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first appeared in the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "wal," meaning "foreign" or "stranger." It was likely given to someone who had moved to a new area or was a traveler from another region.
In its earliest recorded usage, the name was spelled "Wal" or "Wale." Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of "WAHL." Some of the earliest records of this surname can be found in medieval German documents and registers.
One of the earliest known bearers of the WAHL name was Johannes Wahl, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Nuremberg in the late 15th century (c. 1460-1520). Another notable figure was Heinrich Wahl, a German theologian and author who lived in the 16th century (c. 1510-1578).
The WAHL surname was also present in other parts of Europe, such as Switzerland and the Netherlands. In the 17th century, a Dutch family with the surname WAHL was recorded in the city of Amsterdam. One of its members, Jan Wahl (c. 1620-1687), was a prominent trader and merchant in the Dutch East Indies.
In the 18th century, a German-born clergyman named Johann Wahl (1712-1784) emigrated to America and became a prominent figure in the Pennsylvania Dutch community. He played a significant role in the establishment of the German Reformed Church in the American colonies.
Another notable bearer of the WAHL surname was the German-American artist and sculptor William Wahl (1849-1925). Born in Bavaria, he immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and became known for his works depicting scenes from American history and Native American culture.
The WAHL name has also been associated with various place names, particularly in Germany. For example, the town of Wahlheim in the state of Hesse is believed to have derived its name from the WAHL surname. Additionally, the village of Wahl in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate likely originated from the same source.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Wahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Wahl 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 Wahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 11,675
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 423
- Two or more races3.0% · 379
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 122
- Black or African American0.6% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wahl
Wahl 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
#2,716
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,253
+320 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 4.49
Rank movement Down 142 places
2020
#2,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,716
-537 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 4.25
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,574 | 12,933 | 4.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,716 | 13,253 | 4.49 | +320 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 142 places |
| 2020 | #2,760 | 12,716 | 4.25 | -537 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 44 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 Wahl 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 | #2,716 | #2,760 | -1.6% |
| Count | 13,253 | 12,716 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.49 | 4.25 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wahl bearers went from 13,253 to 12,716 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,716 to #2,760.
FAQ
Wahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wahl?
Name Census estimates that about 14,582 living Americans carry the surname Wahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,505 residents.
How common is Wahl?
Wahl ranks #2,760 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,716 people with the surname Wahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,582), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Wahl.
Has Wahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wahl went from 13,253 recorded bearers to 12,716. That is a decrease of 537 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,716 to #2,760.
What does the Census say about the background of Wahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Wahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (11,675 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Wahl (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 Wahl mean?
Derived from Middle High German "wal," referring to someone who came from a Romance-speaking country, particularly Italy or France. 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 Wahl (4.25 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 share the surname Wahl?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.