Explore the Family Name Stahl

The meaning of Stahl

1. German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): metonymic occupational name for a steelsmith, an armorer or a steel merchant, from Middle High German stāl and German Stahl ‘steel, armor’. The Jewish surname is often artificial rather than occupational. This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine), Denmark, and some other European countries. 2. Swedish (Ståhl): soldier’s name from ståhl, an ornamental spelling of stål ‘steel’. Compare Steel and Steele.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Stahl experienced a shift in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Stahl was the 1,471st most popular surname, but by 2010, it had dropped to 1,619th, marking a decline of 10.06%. However, the actual number of people with the Stahl surname slightly increased during this period from 22,163 to 22,211, a marginal growth of 0.22%. The proportion per 100,000 people also decreased from 8.22 to 7.53, reflecting an 8.39% drop.

20002010Change
Rank#1,471#1,619-10.06%
Count22,16322,2110.22%
Proportion per 100k8.227.53-8.39%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Stahl

As for ethnic identity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census show a bit of change in the distribution among those with the surname Stahl between 2000 and 2010. The percentage identifying as White decreased by 1.32%, dropping from 96.49% to 95.22%. Meanwhile, the share of individuals identifying as Hispanic saw the greatest increase, growing by 62.68% from 1.42% to 2.31%. Other increases were observed among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (from 0.46% to 0.61%), Black (from 0.23% to 0.25%), and American Indian and Alaskan Native (from 0.33% to 0.36%). The portion identifying as belonging to two or more ethnicities also rose from 1.07% to 1.25%.

20002010Change
White96.49%95.22%-1.32%
Hispanic1.42%2.31%62.68%
Two or More Races1.07%1.25%16.82%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.46%0.61%32.61%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.33%0.36%9.09%
Black0.23%0.25%8.7%

Stahl 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 Stahl is French & German, which comprises 37.8% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (36.0%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (6.6%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German37.8%
British & Irish36.0%
Ashkenazi Jewish6.6%
Other19.6%
Stahl

Possible origins of the surname Stahl

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 Stahl have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom75.60%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom75.40%
Merseyside, United Kingdom75.40%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom75.30%
West Midlands, United Kingdom75.30%

What Stahl 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 Stahl is E-V13, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-V13 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include R-DF19 and I-Z180, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Wolf, Fischer, Miller, Koch, Hoffman, Schmidt, Meyer, Haas, Walter, Snyder.

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

stahlPaternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to early Balkan migrants

Haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a migrated in large numbers from the Balkans into Europe about 4,500 years ago, triggered by the beginning of the Balkan Bronze Age. During this migration, members of haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a mainly followed rivers connecting the southern Balkans to northern-central Europe. Technological leaps often cause lineages to grow dramatically in numbers and in geographic range. The development of Bronze technology may have given men in haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a a competitive advantage over other men, causing haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a to proliferate and become widespread.

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 Stahl 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

Stahl

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Stahl" Surname 47.5%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Stahl

Misophonia

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

"Stahl" Surname 27.2%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Stahl

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Stahl" Surname 21.7%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Stahl

Migraine

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

"Stahl" Surname 14.1%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Stahl?

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 Stahl 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%