2000
#12,122
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,360
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Eckhoff
A German occupational surname referring to a person living at the corner of a street or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,508 Americans carry the last name Eckhoff. That puts it at #13,334 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,664 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Eckhoff 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
2.5K
1 in 136,664
Census rank
#13,334
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,187 bearers of the surname Eckhoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13334th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Eckhoff
The surname Eckhoff originated in Germany, and it can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "eck," meaning "corner" or "edge," and "hof," meaning "courtyard" or "farm." Therefore, Eckhoff likely referred to someone who lived on a farm or property located at a corner or edge of a village or town.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Eckhoff can be found in various German historical records, including church registers and land deeds from the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable mention is in the Liber Vitae, a medieval manuscript from the Abbey of St. Gall in Switzerland, where the name "Eckhoff" appears among a list of donors and benefactors.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone several spelling variations, including Eckhof, Eckhove, and Eckhoven. These variations often reflected regional dialects and local pronunciations. Some of these older spellings can be linked to specific place names, such as the town of Eckhoven in the Rhineland region of Germany.
Among the notable individuals who bore the surname Eckhoff throughout history is Johann Eckhoff (1673-1734), a German composer and organist who served as the court musician for the Dukes of Saxe-Eisenach. Another prominent figure was Friedrich Eckhoff (1832-1906), a German-American artist and painter known for his landscape and genre scenes depicting life in the American West.
In the 18th century, the name Eckhoff can be found in records related to German immigrants who settled in various parts of Europe and North America. One such individual was Johann Gottfried Eckhoff (1757-1826), a German-born farmer who emigrated to Pennsylvania in the late 18th century and established a successful agricultural community.
During the 19th century, the Eckhoff name gained recognition in the field of academia with Johann Peter Eckhoff (1792-1868), a German philologist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek literature. Additionally, Carl Eckhoff (1869-1942), a Norwegian engineer and industrial pioneer, played a crucial role in the development of Norway's hydroelectric power industry.
Throughout its history, the surname Eckhoff has been associated with various professions and fields, from music and art to agriculture, academia, and industry. While its origins can be traced back to Germany, the name has dispersed across various parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have shaped societies over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Eckhoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Eckhoff 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 Eckhoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 2,050
- Two or more races2.6% · 56
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Eckhoff
Eckhoff 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
#12,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,367
+7 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 849 places
2020
#13,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,187
-180 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 363 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,122 | 2,360 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,971 | 2,367 | 0.80 | +7 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 849 places |
| 2020 | #13,334 | 2,187 | 0.73 | -180 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 363 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 Eckhoff 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 | #12,971 | #13,334 | -2.8% |
| Count | 2,367 | 2,187 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.73 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Eckhoff bearers went from 2,367 to 2,187 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 363 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,971 to #13,334.
FAQ
Eckhoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Eckhoff?
Name Census estimates that about 2,508 living Americans carry the surname Eckhoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,664 residents.
How common is Eckhoff?
Eckhoff ranks #13,334 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,187 people with the surname Eckhoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,508), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Eckhoff.
Has Eckhoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Eckhoff went from 2,367 recorded bearers to 2,187. That is a decrease of 180 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,971 to #13,334.
What does the Census say about the background of Eckhoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Eckhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Eckhoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (2,050 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Eckhoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Eckhoff (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 Eckhoff mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person living at the corner of a street 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 Eckhoff (0.73 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 Eckhoff?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.