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Dahl Family History

Dahl Name Meaning

Norwegian and Danish: habitational name from a common farm name derived from Old Norse dalr ‘valley’. Swedish: topographic or ornamental name from an ornamental spelling of dal ‘valley’ or a habitational name from a placename containing this word e.g. Dalby. German: topographic name from Middle Low German dal ‘valley’ or a habitational name from any of the places in Germany named Dahl or Dahle from the same word. Jewish (Ashkenazic): habitational name as in 3 above or an adoption of the German surname.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Dal, Wahl, Ahl, Dahle, Dahm, Zahl, Bahl, Fall, Dall, Vahl

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Dahl family from?

You can see how Dahl families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dahl family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dahl families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 93 Dahl families living in Saskatchewan. This was about 37% of all the recorded Dahl's in Canada. Saskatchewan had the highest population of Dahl families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dahl surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Dahl ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Dahl. 68% of Dahl men worked as a Farmer and 40% of Dahl women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dahl were Farmers Son and Helps. .

View Census Data for Dahl | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    68%
  • Labourer
    11%
  • Laborer
    6%
  • Farmers Son
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    40%
  • Student
    20%
  • Servant
    20%
  • Helps
    20%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Dahl family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 102,000 census records available for the last name Dahl. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dahl census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Dahl

Passenger Lists

There are 42,000 immigration records available for the last name Dahl. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 19,000 military records available for the last name Dahl. For the veterans among your Dahl ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Dahl military records

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What is the average Dahl lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Dahl life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 1994. The average life expectancy for Dahl in 1944 was 43, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dahl

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