Dahl or Dahle is a
surname of
Germanic origin. Dahl, which means valley in the
North Germanic languages
The North Germanic languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages—a sub-family of the Indo-European languages—along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages. The language group is also ...
(''tal'' in German, ''dale'' in northern England English), is common in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
,
Sweden and the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
. The origin of the German forms Dahl and Dahle may have been in medieval
Westphalia
Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants.
The territory of the regio ...
. In Germany about 11 places are called Dahl. In the Netherlands, a suburb of the city of Nijmegen (which in turn is named after an old estate in the area) is called "Heyerdaal" (also spelled as "Heijerdaal"), in which "daal" also means "valley". Other examples are "Bloemendaal," "Rozendaal," and "Roosendaal."
There are several variations as it was common to add a
suffix to Dahl in order to denote the name bearer's original locale or occupation. You also find several variations of -dahl used with
prefixes (
Heyerdahl, Heimendahl...).
[Axel Gröblinghoff: Großhau - Von altem Eisen und Wäldern bis zum Horizont, Germany 1995]
Dahl
Arts and media
*
Arlene Dahl
Arlene Carol Dahl (August 11, 1925 – November 29, 2021) was an American actress active in films from the late 1940s. She was one of the last surviving stars from the Classical Hollywood cinema era.
She was also an author and entrepreneur. Sh ...
(1925–2021), American film actress
* Arne Dahl, pen name of Swedish crime writer
Jan Arnald
Jan Arnald (born 11 January 1963) is a Swedish novelist and literary critic, whose pen name is Arne Dahl. He has become famous with crime fiction, and he is also a regular writer in Swedish newspaper ''Dagens Nyheter''.
He published ''Barbarer ...
*
Arnim Dahl
Arnim Dahl (March 12, 1922 in Stettin – August 3, 1998 in Wedel) was a German Stuntman.
Life
His father Hermann Dahl was a former German champion in springboard diving. Following in his father’s footsteps, Dahl was the 1938 German yo ...
(1922–1998), German Stuntman
*
Carina Dahl
Carina Dahl (born 15 August 1985) is a Norwegian pop singer.
Biography
Dahl participated in Big Brother 2006, a joint program shared by broadcasters in Sweden and Norway. She was the last housemate to be voted off before the finale, spendin ...
(born 1962), Swedish writer and film director
*
Carina Dahl
Carina Dahl (born 15 August 1985) is a Norwegian pop singer.
Biography
Dahl participated in Big Brother 2006, a joint program shared by broadcasters in Sweden and Norway. She was the last housemate to be voted off before the finale, spendin ...
(born 1985), Norwegian pop singer and songwriter
*
Cecilie Dahl (1858–1943), Norwegian painter
*
Cecilie Dahl (born 1960), Norwegian artist
*
Elena Dahl (born 1947), Russian-Swedish author and translator
*
Felicity Dahl
Felicity Ann Dahl ( D'Abreu; born 12 December 1938) is a British film producer who married the author Roald Dahl in 1983. She was previously married to Charles Reginald Hugh Crosland. The quietly spoken Dahl gave a rare interview in November 2008 ...
(born 1938), British film producer; wife of Roald Dahl
*
Gustaf Dahl
Frans Gustaf Abraham Dahl (13 February 1835 – 21 September 1927) was a Swedish architect. He is known for designing several of Sweden's prominent buildings, including Stockholm's National Library of Sweden and Mariahissen.
He also designed N ...
(1835–1927), Swedish architect
*
Hans Dahl
Hans Dahl (19 February 1849 – 27 July 1937) was a Norwegian painter. Hans Dahl was most known for his paintings of Norwegian fjords and surrounding landscapes.
Background
Hans Dahl was born in the village of Granvin, on the Hardangerf ...
(1849–1937), Norwegian painter
*
Hjalmar Dahl (1891–1960), Finnish translator and writer
*
Ingolf Dahl
Ingolf Dahl (June 9, 1912 – August 6, 1970) was a German-born American composer, pianist, conductor, and educator.
Biography
Dahl was born Walter Ingolf Marcus in Hamburg, Germany, to a German Jewish father, attorney Paul Marcus, and his Swed ...
(1912–1970), German-born American composer of Swedish ancestry
*
Johann Christian Dahl (1788–1857), Norwegian artist
*
John Dahl
John Dahl (born December 11, 1956) is an American film and television director and writer, best known for his work in the neo-noir genre.
Life and career
John Dahl was born in Billings, Montana, the second of four children (his brother is film ...
(born 1956), American filmmaker
*
Kjell Ola Dahl (born 1958), Norwegian writer writing as K. O. Dahl
*
Karen Dahl (born 1955), Canadian artist
*
Laura Dahl (born 1974), American fashion designer
*
Louise Dahl-Wolfe
Louise Dahl-Wolfe (November 19, 1895 – December 11, 1989) was an American photographer. She is known primarily for her work for '' Harper's Bazaar'', in association with fashion editor Diana Vreeland.
Background
Louise Emma Augusta Dahl was bo ...
(1895–1989), Norwegian-American fashion and portrait photographer
*
Michael Dahl
Michael Dahl (1659–1743) was a Swedish portrait painter who lived and worked in England most of his career and died there. He was one of the most internationally known Swedish painters of his time. He painted portraits of many aristocrats and s ...
(1659–1743), Swedish painter
*
Oleg Dahl
Oleg Ivanovich Dal (russian: Олег Иванович Даль; 25 May 1941 – 3 March 1981) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor.
He acted in films, from classics of drama to fairy tales and adventures. His most popular works inclu ...
(1941–1981), Russian actor
*
Roald Dahl (1916–1990), British novelist
*
Sophie Dahl
Sophie Dahl (born Sophie Holloway on 15 September 1977, later taking her mother's name for professional reasons) is an English author and former fashion model. Her first novel, ''The Man with the Dancing Eyes'', was published in 2003 followed b ...
(born 1977), British model and writer; granddaughter of Roald Dahl
*
Stephan Dahl (born 1971), British writer and a lecturer
*
Steve Dahl
Steven Robert Dahl (born November 20, 1954) is an American radio personality. He is the owner and operator of the Steve Dahl Network, a subscription-based podcasting network. Dahl gained a measure of national attention after organizing and hostin ...
(born 1954), American radio personality
*
Tessa Dahl
Chantal Sophia "Tessa" Dahl (born 11 April 1957) is an English author and former actress. She is the daughter of British author Roald Dahl and American actress Patricia Neal.
Early life
Dahl was born in Oxford, the second daughter of British au ...
(born 1957), British writer; daughter of Roald Dahl
*
Viking Dahl
Viking Dahl (8 October 1895 – 5 January 1945) was a Swedish composer, active also as a painter and an author.
Biography
Frode Viking Samson Dahl was born in Osby in Scania, Sweden. He was the son of Samuel Dahl (1847-1932) and Katarina Lovis ...
(1895–1945), Swedish composer
Education and academia
*
Christopher Dahl (administrator) (born 1946), American college president from New York
*
Darren Dahl, Canadian business economist
*
Olga Dahl (1917–2009), Swedish genealogist
*
Robert A. Dahl
Robert Alan Dahl (; December 17, 1915 – February 5, 2014) was an American political theorist and Sterling Professor of Political Science at Yale University.
He established the pluralist theory of democracy—in which political outcomes are ...
(1915–2014), American political scientist
*
Vladimir Dahl
Vladimir Ivanovich Dal ( rus, Влади́мир Ива́нович Даль, p=vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr ɨˈvanəvʲɪdʑ ˈdalʲ; November 22, 1801 – October 4, 1872) was a noted Russian-language lexicographer, polyglot, Turkologist, and founding ...
(1801–1872), Russian lexicographer
Military
*
Arne Dagfin Dahl (1894–1990), Norwegian general and commander of the Independent Norwegian Brigade Group in Germany
*
Larry G. Dahl (1949–1971), US Army veteran and Medal of Honor recipient
Politics
*
Donald Dahl (1945–2014), American politician
*
Gregory L. Dahl (born 1952), American politician and lawyer
*
Harold J. Dahl
Harold J. Dahl (April 27, 1930 – February 20, 1989) was an American politician and judge.
Dahl was born in Duluth, Minnesota and graduated from Duluth Central High School. He served in the United States Navy during the Korean War. Dahl went ...
(1930–1989), American politician and judge
*
Kristian Thulesen Dahl
Kristian Thulesen Dahl (born 30 July 1969) is a Danish director and former politician who served as Leader of the Danish People's Party (DPP) from 2012 to 2022. He was a Member of the Folketing (MF) from September 1994 until July 2022, first repr ...
(born 1969), head of the largest party of the incumbent ruling bloc of Denmark
*
Niels Lauritz Dahl (1925–2014), Norwegian diplomat
*
Olaf H. Dahl (1870-1942), American businessman and politician
Religion
*
Jákup Dahl
Jákup Dahl (English and German ''Jacob Dahl'') (5 June 1878 – 5 June 1944) was a Faroese Provost and Bible translator. In 1908 he became known as a linguist with the first Faroese grammar lessons for school students.
Life and work
Dahl w ...
(1878–1944), Faroese provost and Bible translator
*
Laila Riksaasen Dahl
Laila Riksaasen Dahl (born 7 March 1947, in Oslo) is a Norwegian theologian who served as bishop of the Diocese of Tunsberg in the Church of Norway from 2002 to 2014.
Dahl is a graduate from both the University of Oslo (1970, cand.mag. degree) a ...
(born 1947), Norwegian Lutheran bishop
*
K. G. William Dahl (1883–1917), Swedish-American Lutheran pastor, author and social advocate
Science
*
Anders Dahl
Anders (or Andreas) Dahl (17 March 1751 in Varnhem, Västergötland – 25 May 1789) was a Swedish botanist and student of Carl Linnaeus. The dahlia flower is named after him.
Early life and education
Andreas (Anders) Dahl was the son of Chri ...
(1751–1789), Swedish botanist
*
Friedrich Dahl
Karl Friedrich Theodor Dahl (June 24, 1856 in Rosenhofer Brök north of Dahme, Holstein – June 29, 1929 in Greifswald) was a German zoologist, and in particular an arachnologist.
The son of a farmer, Dahl studied at the universities of Leipzi ...
(1856–1929), German zoologist
*
Gustaf Dahl
Frans Gustaf Abraham Dahl (13 February 1835 – 21 September 1927) was a Swedish architect. He is known for designing several of Sweden's prominent buildings, including Stockholm's National Library of Sweden and Mariahissen.
He also designed N ...
(1835–1927), Swedish architect
*
Knut Dahl
image:KnutDahl.jpg, Knut Dahl Knut Dahl (28 October 1871 – 11 June 1951) was a Norway, Norwegian zoology, zoologist and explorer who made important bird collections in northern Australia.
Early years
Dahl grew up at Hakadal in Akershus, Norway, ...
(1871–1951), Norwegian ichthyologist
*
Lawrence F. Dahl (1929–2021), professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
*
Nikolai Dahl
Nikolai Vladimirovich Dahl, often called Nicolai Dahl (russian: Николай Владимирович Даль) (July 17, 1860 – 1939) was a Russian Empire physician. He is most notable for his successful treatment of the composer Sergei R ...
(1860–1939), Russian physician and Sergei Rachmaninov's psychologist
*
Ole-Johan Dahl
Ole-Johan Dahl (12 October 1931 – 29 June 2002) was a Norwegian computer scientist. Dahl was a professor of computer science at the University of Oslo and is considered to be one of the fathers of Simula and object-oriented programming along w ...
(1931–2002), Norwegian computer scientist
Sports
*
Albin Dahl
Carl Albin Dahl (2 January 1900 – 15 February 1980) was a Swedish association footballer who played as a striker. He competed in the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics and finished in fifth and third place, respectively. Together with his elder br ...
(1900–1980), Swedish soccer player
*
Alexander Dahl
Alexander Dahl (29 November 1892 – 15 December 1978) was a German industrialist, author and balloonist. He is known for his pioneering balloon flights, he made 107 different ascents throughout his life, especially his 1933 high altitude ball ...
(1892–1978) German balloonist and author
*
Craig Dahl
Craig Dahl (born June 17, 1985) is a former American football safety who played nine seasons in the National Football League. He was signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at North Dakota State.
H ...
(born 1985), American ice hockey coach- St. Cloud State University
*
David Dahl (baseball)
David Martin Dahl (born April 1, 1994) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the San Diego Padres organization. He was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the first round of the 2012 MLB draft out of Oak Mountain High School in Bi ...
(born 1994), American baseball outfielder
*
Harvey Dahl
Harvey J. Dahl (born June 24, 1981) is a former American football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free a ...
(born 1981), American National Football League player-St. Louis Rams
*
Ida-Marie Dahl (born 1998), Danish handball player
*
Ingrid Dahl (born 1964), Norwegian chess master
*
Jay Dahl (1945–1965), American baseball pitcher
*
Jon Dahl Tomasson (born 1976), Danish football (soccer) player
*
Viljo Petersson-Dahl (born 1982), Swedish wheelchair curler
Dahle
Arts and music
*
Gro Dahle
Gro Dahle (born 15 May 1962) is a Norwegian poet and writer.
Early life
Dahle was born in Oslo, and is the daughter of businessman Øystein Dahle. She grew up in Tønsberg, Aruba and New Jersey. She began studying psychology and English litera ...
(born 1962), Norwegian poet and writer
*
Kurt Dahle
Kurt Colin Dahle is a Juno Award winning, Grammy nominated Canadian musician. Dahle is best known for his work as a drummer and vocalist with the rock bands Age of Electric, Limblifter, and The New Pornographers. Dahle's known for a heavy swing o ...
(contemporary), Canadian rock drummer
*
Ryan Dahle
Ryan Dahle (born 1970) is a Canadian musician, best known for his contributions to the bands Age of Electric and Limblifter, each of which have scored several major radio hits.
The Age of ''Electric''
The Age of Electric was a band founded in ...
(born 1970), Canadian rock musician
Politics
*
Herman Dahle (1855–1920), American politician from Wisconsin; U.S. congressman
*
Kevin Dahle
Kevin L. Dahle (born January 24, 1960) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 20, which included portions of Le Sueur, Rice ...
(born 1960), American politician from Minnesota; state legislator
*
Torstein Dahle (born 1947), Norwegian politician and economist
Sports
*
Mona Dahle (born 1970), Norwegian Olympic handball player
Other
*
Johann Dahle (1749-1847), Hessian soldier and pioneering Virginian
*
Øystein Dahle
Øystein Dahle (born 18 March 1938) is a former Norwegian businessperson and organizational leader.
He was born in Trondheim. He worked in Esso from 1963, and was vice president of Esso, Esso Norway from 1985 to 1995. He was the chairman of the ...
(born 1938), Norwegian businessman and organizational leader
See also
*
Dahlin (surname)
*
Dahlen (surname) Dahlen is a Low German surname variation of Dahl originating in medieval Westphalia. Dahlen is also a common Scandinavian surname. The Swedish language spelling replaces the ''e'' with '' é'', indicator of an integrated loan word. Dahlen is uncom ...
*
Dale, surname that had a similar spelling
References
{{Surname, Dahl
Danish-language surnames
Norwegian-language surnames
Swedish-language surnames