Dahl
A surname from German and Scandinavian words for “valley,” often referring to someone who lived in or near a valley.
The #1,669 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 14,295 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dahl is a topographic surname built on the German and Scandinavian word for “valley.” In German it corresponds to Tal/Thal, while in Scandinavian languages the related form dal or dahl has the same meaning. The name would originally have identified a person who lived in a valley or came from a place called Dahl/Dal.
History
The surname appears in German-speaking and Scandinavian areas and was later carried to North America by immigrants from those regions. Historical surname writers often treat Dahl as the same valley-name element seen in many compound names and place-names. In some families it may also be a shortened form of longer place-based surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some older surname dictionaries gloss Dahl simply as “valley,” which makes it one of the more transparent place-based surnames in northern Europe.
From the historical record
“Rodney, Eoop, Koos, Roraback, Rosborroav, Rosen- DAHL ("valley of roses"), Rosenmoller, Roskell, Ross, Rossen, Rossi, Rossiter and Roster, Roth and Rothe ("red"), Rotiikopf ("red head"), Rolrke, Rousmaniere, Roavley, Royce, Roylance, Ruck, RuDD, Ruddle, Rudebusch, Ruemker, Rueter, Ruggles (very common). Rule…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)