Pahl
A German surname that most likely began as a short form or nickname, with some old sources linking it to forms like Bald or Pfahl.
The #8,518 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 79,903 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally treated as German, but the older literature is not fully consistent about its exact source. One line of interpretation connects it with a short form of a name such as Bald, while another suggests a relationship to Pfahl, meaning "stake" or "post." Because the evidence is thin and the 19th-century authorities do not agree, the safest reading is that Pahl is a German nickname or shortened surname of uncertain precise origin.
History
The name appears in German surname discussions and is especially associated with German-speaking regions. It also occurs in English-language surname works as a recorded German family name. In modern use, Pahl is found in German-speaking countries and in communities descended from German immigrants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries sometimes placed Pahl near other short German forms beginning with Pal-/Bal-, showing how uncertain 19th-century scholars could be about brief surnames.
From the historical record
“(niederd. Pagen) absticht, „Abdecker*^. Pahde s. Bad (einst. K.). Pahl a) s. Bald (einst. K.) b) „Pfahl^. Pahnke III. slaw. Panek „kleiner Herr*^. -paintner s. Bund. Paldramiis s. Bald (V.). Pälegrriinm s. Pilgrim. PaUanf, Palmer s. Bald (V.).”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen