2000
#25,885
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 892
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.33
Rare Last name
Sandahl
A Swedish surname derived from the words "sand" and "ahl," possibly referring to someone living near a sandy area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,010 Americans carry the last name Sandahl. That puts it at #28,736 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 339,361 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sandahl 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.
Bearers in the US
1.0K
1 in 339,361
Census rank
#28,736
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
881
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 881 bearers of the surname Sandahl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28736th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sandahl
The surname SANDAHL originated in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse words "sandr" meaning "sand" and "hǫll" meaning "hill" or "knoll." The name likely referred to a person who lived near a sandy hill or a sandy area.
SANDAHL can be traced back to the 13th century in Swedish historical records and documents. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in a Swedish land registry from 1285, where a person named Sven Sandahl is mentioned as a landowner in the province of Västergötland.
In the 16th century, the name SANDAHL appeared in several Swedish church records and tax rolls. For example, a man named Olof Sandahl was listed as a taxpayer in the parish of Höganäs in Skåne in 1548.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name SANDAHL became more widespread in Sweden and was also found in other Scandinavian countries. Notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Johan Sandahl (1646-1718), a Swedish clergyman and writer who served as a pastor in the city of Linköping.
2. Carl Gustaf Sandahl (1783-1841), a Swedish military officer and politician who served as a member of the Swedish Riksdag.
3. Lovisa Sandahl (1799-1873), a Swedish singer and actress who performed in several operas and plays in Stockholm.
4. Nils Sandahl (1824-1899), a Swedish painter known for his landscape paintings depicting the Swedish countryside.
5. Gustav Sandahl (1865-1931), a Swedish architect who designed several notable buildings in Stockholm, including the Stockholm City Hall.
The name SANDAHL has also been found in various historical documents and records related to place names and locations. For instance, the name "Sandahl's Farm" is mentioned in a Swedish land survey from the 17th century, referring to a farm located near a sandy hill in the region of Västmanland.
Overall, the surname SANDAHL has a rich history and heritage, tracing its origins back to medieval Scandinavia and reflecting the geographical features and landscapes of the region where it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sandahl
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sandahl 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 Sandahl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 820
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 27
- Two or more races2.0% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sandahl
Sandahl 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
#26,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 926
+34 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 477 places
2020
#28,736
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 881
-45 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.29
Rank movement Down 2,374 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,885 | 892 | 0.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,362 | 926 | 0.31 | +34 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 477 places |
| 2020 | #28,736 | 881 | 0.29 | -45 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 2,374 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 Sandahl 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 | #26,362 | #28,736 | -9.0% |
| Count | 926 | 881 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.31 | 0.29 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sandahl bearers went from 926 to 881 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 2,374 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,362 to #28,736.
FAQ
Sandahl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sandahl?
Name Census estimates that about 1,010 living Americans carry the surname Sandahl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 339,361 residents.
How common is Sandahl?
Sandahl ranks #28,736 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 881 people with the surname Sandahl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,010), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sandahl.
Has Sandahl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sandahl went from 926 recorded bearers to 881. That is a decrease of 45 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #26,362 to #28,736.
What does the Census say about the background of Sandahl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sandahl, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Sandahl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (820 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sandahl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Sandahl (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 Sandahl mean?
A Swedish surname derived from the words "sand" and "ahl," possibly referring to someone living near a sandy area. 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 Sandahl (0.29 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 common is the surname Sandahl?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Sandahl at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.