Explore the Family Name Suhl

The meaning of Suhl

1. German: topographic name from Suhle ‘muddy pool, mudbath’, or a habitational name from Suhl in Thuringia. 2. Germanized form of Sorbian Sul: from a short form of the Old Sorbian personal name Sulisław or Sulimir, based on the element sul (from Old Slavic sulijь) meaning ‘good, better’.

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

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

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Suhl has seen a slight decrease over a decade. In 2000, the name ranked at 75,695th position in terms of popularity with 237 individuals bearing the surname, which equates to approximately 0.09 per 100,000 people. By 2010, the position had slipped to 82,317th with a count of 229, representing about 0.08 per 100,000 people. This represents an 8.75% drop in rank and a 3.38% decrease in the count.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#75,695	#82,317	-8.75%
Count	237	229	-3.38%
Proportion per 100k	0.09	0.08	-11.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Suhl

The same census data provides insight into the ethnic identity distribution of individuals with the Suhl surname. The majority identified as White, making up 93.67% in 2000 and 93.45% in 2010 - showing a marginal decrease of 0.23%. There was an increase observed in those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander from 2.11% to 2.62%, marking a 24.17% change. The proportion identifying with two or more races dropped to zero by 2010 from 2.53% in 2000. The data also indicated the emergence of a Hispanic representation at 2.18% in 2010, whereas it was non-existent in 2000. The proportions for Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native remained constant at zero for both years.

	2000	2010	Change
White	93.67%	93.45%	-0.23%
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.11%	2.62%	24.17%
Hispanic	0%	2.18%	0%
Two or More Races	2.53%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%