Wahl is a Norwegian and Danish surname that originates from the German ''wal'' meaning 'field'. The name may also have roots in the German word ''Wahl'' (meaning "election" or "choice") or from

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

, in which ''wahl'' means "from Italy".Polonsky, Antony, ''The Jews in Poland and Russia'', vol. 1, Littman Library of Jewish Civilization. 2010, p. 12. Notable people with the surname include: * Anne Wahl (born 1953), Norwegian sprint canoer * Arthur C. Wahl, American chemist *

Asbjørn Wahl Asbjørn Wahl (born 1951) is a Norwegian researcher and author. He is currently the director of the Campaign for the Welfare State, an adviser for the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees, and the Vice President of the Road Tra ...

(born 1951), Norwegian researcher and author * Ballie Wahl (1920–1978), South African rugby player *

Bernt Wahl Bernt Rainer Wahl is an American entrepreneur. Wahl studied mathematics and physics at University of California, Santa Cruz. He was chief executive officer of the company Factle. Wahl unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Berkeley, California in 2012 an ...

, American author, entrepreneur and mathematician * Betty Wahl (1924–1988), American novelist and short story writer *

Bobby Wahl Robert Martin Wahl (born March 21, 1992) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, and Milwaukee Brewers. Wahl played college baseball for the Ole Mi ...

(born 1992), American baseball player * Charlotte Wahl (1817–1899), Latvian philanthropist *

Charlotte Johnson Wahl Charlotte Johnson Wahl (''née'' Fawcett; 29 May 1942 – 13 September 2021) was a British artist. She was the mother of Boris Johnson, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, as well as the journalist Rachel Johnson and the politician ...

(1942–2021), British artist and mother of

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...

* Corrine Wahl (born 1954), American model and actress *

Edgar de Wahl Edgar von Wahl (Interlingue: , born Edgar Alexis Robert von Wahl; 23 August 1867 – 9 March 1948) was a Baltic German mathematics and physics teacher who lived in Tallinn, Estonia. He also used the pseudonym Julian Prorók, and is best know ...

(1867–1948), Baltic German linguist and scholar * Eduard Wahl (1903–1985), German CDU politician * Erik Wahl, American artist and entrepreneur * François Wahl (1925–2014), French editor and structuralist *

Frank-Michael Wahl Frank-Michael Wahl (born 24 August 1956 in Rostock) is a former German handball player and coach. During his playing career he played for both the DDR and German national team. With DDR competed in the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 1988 Summer Ol ...

(born 1956), German handball player * George Douglas Wahl (1895–1981), American military officer *

Grant Wahl Grant Wahl (December 2, 1973 – December 10, 2022) was an American sports journalist and soccer analyst for CBS Sports, a senior writer for ''Sports Illustrated'' and a correspondent for Fox Sports, based in New Yorkers in journalism, New York ...

(1974–2022), American sports journalist * Harry Wahl (1869–1940), Finnish businessman, violin collector, and sailor * Harry Wahl (1902–1975), Canadian political figure * Hauke Wahl (born 1994), German footballer *

Henry Wahl Henry Wahl (9 March 1915 – 13 October 1984) was a Norwegian speed skater. He competed in the 10,000 m event at the 1948 Winter Olympics The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and commonly known as ...

, (1915–1984) Norwegian speed skater * Jacques Wahl (born 1971), South African cricketer *

James M. Wahl James M. Wahl (Given name: Jens Magnus Wahl) (January 7, 1846 - February 9, 1939) was a pioneer Norwegian American settler in South Dakota. He served as the first legislator of Lincoln County, South Dakota in the Dakota Territorial Legislature. W ...

(1846–1939), Norwegian American settler and South Dakota legislator * Jan Boyer Wahl (1933–2019), American children's book author *

Jean Wahl Jean André Wahl (; 25 May 1888 – 19 June 1974) was a French philosopher. Early career Wahl was educated at the École Normale Supérieure. He was a professor at the Sorbonne from 1936 to 1967, broken by World War II. He was in the United Sta ...

(1888–1974), French philosopher *

Jens Wahl Jens Wahl (born 24 July 1966) is a German former footballer. Career Wahl began his career with FC Hansa Rostock in the DDR-Oberliga, and won one cap for East Germany. After reunification, Hansa won the final, transitional East German champion ...

(born 1966), German footballer *

Johann Salomon Wahl Johann Salomon Wahl (1689, Chemnitz – 5 December 1765, Copenhagen) was a German artist who became a court painter in Denmark. Biography He trained as a painter between 1705 and 1711 with David Hoyer (1667–1720), the court painter in Leipzig. ...

(1689–1765), German artist * John Eshleman Wahl (1933–2010), American civil rights attorney * Jonathan Wahl, American mathematician *

Karl Wahl Karl Wahl (24 September 1892 – 18 February 1981) was a German politician who served as the Nazi ''Gauleiter'' of Gau Swabia from the '' Gau'' inception in 1928 until the collapse of Nazi Germany in 1945. After the war, Wahl spent 3½ year ...

(1892–1981), German

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

Gauleiter A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...

'' of

Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...

Ken Wahl Ken Wahl (born February 14, 1957) is an American retired actor. Rising to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s, he starred in the CBS television crime drama '' Wiseguy''. Early life and career Wahl, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, Note: Only p ...

(born 1954), American film and television actor *

Kermit Wahl Kermit Emerson Wahl (November 18, 1922 – September 16, 1987) was an American professional baseball player. An infielder, he played all or parts of five seasons in Major League Baseball between and for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Athleti ...

(1922–1987), American baseball player * Kurt Wahl (1912–1990), German fencer *

Lutz Wahl Lutz Wahl (November 2, 1869 – December 30, 1928) was an American military officer who was a major general and Adjutant General of the United States Army from 1927 to 1928. Biography Lutz Wahl was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on November 2, 1 ...

(1869–1928), American military general * Margit Wahl (1900 or 1903–1949), Hungarian operatic soprano singer *

Mats Wahl Mats Wahl (born 10 May 1945 in Malmö, Sweden) is a Swedish author. He has published 43 books but also written several plays for the theatre, TV programs, novels and movies. ''Vinterviken'' (in English: the Winter bay) is one of his most famous b ...

(born 1945), Swedish writer *

Meir Wahl Meir Wahl or Meir Wahl Katzenellenbogen, (also known as Meir Shauls and MaHaRaSH) was a Polish rabbi. He was the son of Saul Wahl, who according to legend, was king of Poland for one day. At the beginning of his rabbinical career, Wahl was the ...

, Polish rabbi * Mitch Wahl (born 1990), American hockey player * Moritz Callmann Wahl (1829–1887), German writer * Nathalie Wahl (born 1976), Belgian mathematician * Nicholas Wahl (1928–1996), American historian *

Otto Wahl Otto Wahl (9 July 1904 – 1 July 1935) was a German cross-country skier. He competed in the men's 18 kilometre event at the 1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (; ; ; ) and com ...

(1904–1935), German cross-country skier * Paul Wahl (1906–1982), German weightlifter * Philippe Wahl (born 1956), French business executive * Phoebe Wahl, American illustrator, sculptor and children's book author *

Rakel Wahl Rakel Wahl (March 18, 1921 – December 14, 2005) was a Norwegian cross-country skier who competed in the 1950s. She finished sixth in the 10 km event at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous ci ...

(1921–2005), Norwegian cross-country skier * Richard Wahl (1906–1982), German fencer * Richard L. Wahl, nuclear medicine physician *

Robert Wahl Robert Allen Wahl (November 7, 1927 – December 17, 2023), nicknamed "Brick" Wahl, was a football player who was a two-time All-American for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1949 and 1950. Wahl was also a U.S. Army heavyweight boxing ...

(1927–2023), American football player * Rosalie E. Wahl (1924–2013), American jurist *

Saul Wahl Saul Wahl Katzenellenbogen (1541–1617) was a wealthy and politically influential Polish Jews, Polish Jew who is in Jewish folk legends said to have Pro tempore, briefly occupied the King of Poland, throne of Poland on 18 August 1587. He has his ...

(1541–1617), legendary king of Poland *

Tyler Wahl Tyler Wahl (born March 7, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for KK Zadar of the Premijer liga (Croatian basketball) and ABA League. He played college basketball for the Wisconsin Badgers of the Big Ten Conference. Early life and ...

(born 2001), American basketball player * Veleslav Wahl (1922–1950), Czech ornithologist and resistance activist * Will Wahl, contestant on '' Survivor: Millennials vs. Gen X'' *

William Henry Wahl William Henry Wahl (14 December 1848 in Philadelphia – 23 March 1909) was a United States scientific editor and journalist. Biography Wahl entered Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, in 1863 at the age of 15, and graduated from there in ...

(1848–1909), American scientific editor and journalist *

Wolfgang Wahl Wolfgang Wahl (3 December 1925 – 15 September 2006) was a German actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1953 to 1996. Filmography References External links * 1925 births 2006 deaths German male film actors German ...

(1925–2006), German actor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wahl German-language surnames Surnames of Jewish origin Yiddish-language surnames Surnames from nicknames Norwegian toponymic surnames

See also

References