thal

Thal is a toponym and surname found in German-speaking regions. The name derives from the older German spelling thal of the word tal, meaning a valley between hills or mountains. In modern standard German, the preferred spelling is Tal, but many place names retain the historic form Thal, a practice particularly common in Switzerland and in some localities in Germany and Austria.

As a toponym, Thal appears in the names of several municipalities and settlements. The use of Thal in place names typically reflects a geographic feature of the area, indicating that the settlement lies in or near a valley. The form remains part of official names, maps, and addresses in affected regions.

As a surname, Thal is attested among German-speaking populations. It has appeared in historical records and continues to occur in contemporary usage, though it is less common than the modern Tal spelling. Variants and related surnames, including Tal, have also been recorded.

Linguistically, Thal is linked to a broad set of Germanic toponyms built from Tal, which describe geographic features and shapes of the landscape. The name thus reflects a common pattern in European place-naming, where physical geography informs human settlement designations. See also Tal.