2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Arthofer
A surname derived from an archaic word meaning a farmer or plowman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Arthofer. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arthofer 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Arthofer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arthofer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arthofer
The surname Arthofer has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely emerging in the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance period. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German words "art," meaning "nature" or "type," and "hofer," which refers to someone residing near a farmstead or court.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Arthofer name dates back to the 16th century, found in archival records from the region of Bavaria, Germany. During this time, surnames were becoming more widespread and standardized, with many families adopting names related to their occupations, place of residence, or physical characteristics.
In the 17th century, the name Arthofer appears in various parish and municipal records across southern Germany and parts of Austria. Notable individuals from this era include Johann Arthofer (1621-1678), a respected craftsman and guild member in the city of Augsburg, and Anna Arthofer (1649-1711), a prominent landowner in the village of Grieskirchen, Upper Austria.
As the Arthofer family spread throughout the German-speaking lands, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, including Arthoffer, Arthofer, and Arthofer. In the 18th century, the name can be found in records from Bavaria, Saxony, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with individuals such as Friedrich Arthofer (1732-1798), a respected scholar and teacher in Dresden, and Maria Arthofer (1756-1832), a renowned midwife in the town of Graz, Austria.
During the 19th century, as emigration from Europe increased, the Arthofer name began to appear in records from other parts of the world. One notable figure was Karl Arthofer (1822-1891), a German immigrant to the United States who became a successful businessman and landowner in the state of Pennsylvania.
Other historical figures bearing the Arthofer surname include Hans Arthofer (1892-1976), an Austrian military officer and recipient of the Iron Cross during World War I, and Johanna Arthofer (1907-1997), a celebrated Austrian novelist and poet whose works explored themes of identity and cultural heritage.
While the Arthofer name may have evolved and dispersed over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Europe, where it emerged as a distinctive surname reflecting the region's linguistic and cultural traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arthofer
Among Census respondents with the surname Arthofer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Arthofer 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 Arthofer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 110
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arthofer
Arthofer 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+3 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,915 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-9 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,407 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 5,915 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 10,407 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 Arthofer 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 | #133,863 | #144,270 | -7.8% |
| Count | 126 | 117 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arthofer bearers went from 126 to 117 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 10,407 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #144,270.
FAQ
Arthofer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arthofer?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Arthofer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Arthofer?
Arthofer ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Arthofer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Arthofer.
Has Arthofer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arthofer went from 126 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Arthofer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arthofer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Arthofer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arthofer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Black (1.7%). 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 Arthofer (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 Arthofer mean?
A surname derived from an archaic word meaning a farmer or plowman. 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 Arthofer (0.04 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 common is the surname Arthofer?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Arthofer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.