2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Denhoff
A German surname derived from the place name Denhoff.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Denhoff. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Denhoff 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Denhoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Denhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Denhoff
The surname Denhoff is of German origin and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated from a place name, likely derived from the Old German words "dene" meaning valley and "hof" meaning farm or court. This suggests that the surname may have been given to someone who lived or worked on a farm situated in a valley.
Denhoff is thought to have first appeared in historical records in the region of Pomerania, which is now divided between modern-day Germany and Poland. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the Pomeranian Nobility Book, a registry of noble families from the region, dating back to the 14th century.
In the 15th century, a nobleman named Bogislaw Denhoff (1420-1494) played a significant role in the political affairs of the Duchy of Pomerania. He served as a trusted advisor to several dukes and was known for his diplomatic skills in mediating disputes between neighboring territories.
The Denhoff family gained considerable prominence in the 16th and 17th centuries, with several members holding influential positions in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Teodor Denhoff (1633-1708), a Polish military commander and statesman, distinguished himself in various military campaigns against Sweden and the Ottoman Empire.
Another notable figure was Jan Kazimierz Denhoff (1649-1697), a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman and military leader. He served as the Grand Crown Hetman, the highest military rank in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and played a crucial role in defending the country against the Swedish invasion during the Northern War.
In the 18th century, Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Denhoff (1701-1768) was a prominent Prussian military officer and diplomat. He served as the ambassador of Prussia to the court of Versailles and was instrumental in negotiating several important treaties between Prussia and France.
While the Denhoff surname has its roots in Germany and was particularly prominent in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with descendants bearing this name found in various countries around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denhoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Denhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Denhoff 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 Denhoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino10.9% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Denhoff
Denhoff 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,652 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-22 bearers (-17.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 18,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,652 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -22 bearers (-17.9%) | Down 18,821 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 Denhoff 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 | #136,449 | #155,270 | -13.8% |
| Count | 123 | 101 | -17.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Denhoff bearers went from 123 to 101 (-17.9% change). The surname moved down 18,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #155,270.
FAQ
Denhoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Denhoff?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Denhoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Denhoff?
Denhoff ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Denhoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), 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 Denhoff.
Has Denhoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Denhoff went from 123 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 22 (-17.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Denhoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Denhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Denhoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Denhoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (10.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Denhoff (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 Denhoff mean?
A German surname derived from the place name Denhoff. 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 Denhoff (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 surname Denhoff?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.