Find out how popular the last name Althoff is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Althoff.

Althoff, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Althoff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Althoff in America

Althoff is the 12218th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Althoff surname appeared 2,548 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Althoff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Althoff to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Althoff

The surname Althoff originated in Germany and is derived from the Old German words "alt" meaning old and "hof" meaning a courtyard or enclosed homestead. It is believed to have first emerged as a locational name for someone who lived near an old courtyard or farmstead.

Althoff is found in records from the medieval period, with one of the earliest known examples being Arnold von Althoff, a knight who fought in the Crusades in the late 12th century. Another early bearer was Wilbrand Althoff, a merchant from Lübeck mentioned in city records from 1321.

During the Renaissance era, the name Althoff appeared in various manuscripts and documents across Germany. One notable example is Johann Althoff, a Lutheran theologian born in 1590 who wrote extensively on religious matters. Around the same time, in 1627, Christoph Althoff was recorded as a master craftsman and woodcarver in Nuremberg.

As the name spread, it was also adopted by families in other parts of Europe. In the Netherlands, Pieter Althoff was a renowned painter born in 1719 who became known for his landscape artwork. A century later, Carl Althoff (1788-1864) was a respected German jurist and politician who served as a government minister.

Other significant bearers include the philosopher and psychologist Wilhelm Althoff (1837-1915), the industrialist and philanthropist Friedrich Althoff (1839-1908), and the artist Jürgen Althoff (1688-1768), famous for his religious paintings and frescoes in churches across Bavaria and Austria.

While the surname is most commonly associated with Germany, branches of the Althoff family can also be found in other countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, where German immigrants settled over the past few centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Althoff

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Althoff.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Althoff was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Althoff has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Althoff was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Althoff, please contact us.

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