2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Colhoff
A German surname derived from the Middle High German for "hills" or "hollows".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Colhoff. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Colhoff 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Colhoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Colhoff, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 41.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (29.0%) and White (21.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Colhoff
The surname Colhoff is of German origin, first appearing in records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the town of Kolbenhoff, located in the northern region of Germany, near the border with Denmark. The name is derived from the Old German words 'kolt' meaning 'charcoal' and 'hoff' meaning 'dwelling' or 'courtyard', suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name were likely charcoal burners or lived in an area associated with charcoal production.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Colhoff surname can be found in the parish records of St. Peter's Church in Kolbenhoff, where a man named Hans Colhoff was listed as a tenant farmer in 1532. Another early reference is found in the Prussian military records from the late 16th century, where a soldier named Christoph Colhoff is mentioned as serving in the army of the Elector of Brandenburg.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Colhoff name began to spread beyond its original region as families migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Johann Colhoff (1612-1688), a renowned clockmaker from Nuremberg, and Katharina Colhoff (1738-1805), a midwife from the town of Mertendorf, who was recognized for her exceptional service to the community.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in Europe, many Colhoffs left their rural homeland seeking new opportunities in urban areas. One such individual was Wilhelm Colhoff (1822-1899), a successful businessman and entrepreneur who established a thriving textile factory in Berlin. His son, Friedrich Colhoff (1854-1928), went on to become a prominent architect and designed several notable buildings in the city.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, members of the Colhoff family also emigrated to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. One notable figure was Hans Colhoff (1876-1945), a German-born engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Panama Canal before settling in New York City.
Throughout its history, the Colhoff surname has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Germany, with many families continuing to reside in the areas where the name first originated. While the name may have evolved slightly in its spelling over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the charcoal-burning communities of northern Germany in the medieval era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Colhoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Colhoff, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 41.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (29.0%) and White (21.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Colhoff 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 Colhoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native41.1% · 44
- Two or more races29.0% · 31
- White21.5% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Colhoff
Colhoff 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,785 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-13 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,411 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,785 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 12,411 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 Colhoff 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 | #139,228 | #151,639 | -8.9% |
| Count | 120 | 107 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Colhoff bearers went from 120 to 107 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 12,411 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #151,639.
FAQ
Colhoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Colhoff?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Colhoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Colhoff?
Colhoff ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Colhoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Colhoff.
Has Colhoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Colhoff went from 120 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Colhoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Colhoff, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 41.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (29.0%) and White (21.5%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Colhoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.1% (44 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Colhoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (41.1%), Two or More Races (29.0%), White (21.5%). 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 Colhoff (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 Colhoff mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle High German for "hills" or "hollows". 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 Colhoff (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 Colhoff?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Colhoff? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.