2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Altenhoff
A German habitational surname referring to someone from an old farm or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Altenhoff. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Altenhoff surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Altenhoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Altenhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Altenhoff
The surname Altenhoff originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Old German words "alt" meaning old and "hof" meaning a farm or estate. The name likely referred to an old farmstead or someone who lived on an old estate.
One of the earliest known references to the name Altenhoff can be found in the records of the town of Soest in Westphalia, Germany, from the year 1542. The records mention a certain Henrich Altenhoff, a landowner in the region.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appeared in various forms such as Altenhoffe, Altenhoeffer, and Altenhoefer, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. It was primarily concentrated in the areas of Westphalia, Lower Saxony, and the Rhineland.
In the 18th century, the name gained some prominence with the birth of Johann Daniel Altenhoff (1719-1786), a German theologian and author who served as a pastor in Essen. His works included several religious texts and a book on the history of the city of Essen.
Another notable figure was Karl Altenhoff (1849-1924), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in Cologne, including the Apostelnkloster and the Marienburg Gymnasium.
In the 19th century, the name Altenhoff appeared in records from the village of Altenhof near the town of Schwerte in Westphalia. This place name likely originated from the same roots as the surname, referring to an old farmstead or estate in the area.
Other individuals of note include Hermann Altenhoff (1871-1947), a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party, and Friedrich Altenhoff (1887-1959), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge and published works on civil law.
While the name Altenhoff is not particularly common, it has a rich history rooted in the German countryside and has been associated with individuals from various professions, including theology, architecture, politics, and law.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Altenhoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Altenhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Altenhoff bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Altenhoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Altenhoff
Altenhoff appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+5 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,441 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-11 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 5,817 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 4,441 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 5,817 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Altenhoff surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #150,452 | #156,269 | -3.9% |
| Count | 109 | 98 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Altenhoff bearers went from 109 to 98 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 5,817 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #156,269.
FAQ
Altenhoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Altenhoff?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Altenhoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Altenhoff?
Altenhoff ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 98 people with the surname Altenhoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Altenhoff.
Has Altenhoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Altenhoff went from 109 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 11 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Altenhoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Altenhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Altenhoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Altenhoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (6.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Altenhoff (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Altenhoff mean?
A German habitational surname referring to someone from an old farm or village. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Altenhoff (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Altenhoff?
Find out how many people are called Altenhoff on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.