Explore the Family Name Diehl

The meaning of Diehl

German: from the personal name Diel, Tiel, from Thilo, a pet form of a personal name beginning with the ancient Germanic element theud ‘people, tribe’, as for example Dietrich. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine) and the Netherlands. Compare Deal, Deel, and Diel.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Diehl in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Diehl experienced a shift in popularity between the years 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 1772, and by 2010, it had dropped to 1916, a decrease of 8.13%. Despite the drop in rank, the total count of individuals with this surname increased slightly, from 18,538 in 2000 to 18,815 in 2010, marking an increase of 1.49%. However, the proportion of individuals named Diehl per 100,000 people decreased from 6.87 in 2000 to 6.38 in 2010, a reduction of 7.13%.

20002010Change
Rank#1,772#1,916-8.13%
Count18,53818,8151.49%
Proportion per 100k6.876.38-7.13%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Diehl

Examining the ethnicity associated with the surname Diehl, again using data from the Decennial U.S. Census, there has been some notable change between 2000 and 2010. The proportion of those identifying as White decreased slightly from 96.5% to 95.23%. Conversely, most other ethnic identities increased. Those identifying as Hispanic rose from 1.32% to 2.08%, an increase of 57.58%, and individuals self-identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased from 0.31% to 0.44%, a rise of 41.94%. Small increases were also noted for those identifying as Black (from 0.7% to 0.76%) and American Indian and Alaskan Native (from 0.28% to 0.39%). Overall, these shifts reflect the increasing ethnic diversity within the population bearing the surname Diehl.

20002010Change
White96.5%95.23%-1.32%
Hispanic1.32%2.08%57.58%
Two or More Races0.89%1.09%22.47%
Black0.7%0.76%8.57%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.31%0.44%41.94%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.28%0.39%39.29%

Diehl ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Diehl is French & German, which comprises 41.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (37.0%) and Eastern European (5.3%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German41.4%
British & Irish37.0%
Eastern European5.3%
Other16.4%
Diehl

Possible origins of the surname Diehl

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Diehl have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom81.70%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom81.50%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom81.50%
West Midlands, United Kingdom81.50%
Merseyside, United Kingdom81.10%

What Diehl haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Diehl is R-S5520, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-S5520 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and I-CTS10936, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Wagner, Miller, Meyer, Weber, Snyder, Schmidt, Baker, Fischer, Fisher, Green.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Diehl surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

diehlPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to King Louis XVI

The rule of France by men of the House of Bourbon began with King Henri IV in 1589 C.E. and continued until the beheading of his direct paternal descendant King Louis XVI in 1793. Several years ago, researchers analyzed a mummified head and a blood-soaked cloth that they believed might belong to the two kings, and concluded that the royal paternal line belonged to haplogroup G. In a more recent study, however, a different set of researchers tested three living men who are direct descendants of the Bourbon kings. Their efforts revealed that the male lineage of the House of Bourbon is actually a branch of haplogroup R-M405.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Diehl have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Diehl

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Diehl" Surname 50.3%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Diehl

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Diehl" Surname 27.4%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Diehl

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Diehl" Surname 19.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Diehl

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Diehl" Surname 17.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Diehl?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Diehl are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%