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

Hoch, 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 Hoch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hoch in America

Hoch is the 5686th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hoch surname appeared 6,095 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Hoch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hoch 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 Hoch

The surname Hoch is of German origin and it is derived from the Old High German word "hoch" which means "high" or "tall". It is believed to have originated as a nickname or a descriptive name given to someone who was tall or lived in a high place.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Hoch date back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Konrad Hoch, who was mentioned in a document from the city of Cologne in 1272.

In the Middle Ages, the surname Hoch was also found in various forms such as Hoch, Hohe, Hocher, and Hochheim, indicating that it was derived from a place name associated with a high or elevated location.

The name Hoch has been recorded in various historical documents throughout the centuries, including tax records, guild rolls, and church registers. For example, Johannes Hoch was listed in the records of the city of Nuremberg in 1397.

Notable individuals who have carried the surname Hoch throughout history include:

1. Johann Hoch (1550-1623), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Saxony.
2. Hans Hoch (1597-1668), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits.
3. Matthäus Hoch (1629-1677), a German Baroque sculptor and woodcarver who worked extensively in the Rhineland region.
4. Johann Philipp Hoch (1700-1768), a German architect and master builder who was active in the Palatinate region.
5. Johann Georg Hoch (1758-1838), a German educator and philologist who contributed to the study of Latin and Greek literature.

The surname Hoch has also been associated with various place names, such as Hochheim (a town in Germany), Hochstadt (meaning "high town"), and Hochdorf (meaning "high village"). These place names further reinforce the connection between the surname and the concept of elevation or height.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hoch

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

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 Hoch 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 Hoch 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 Hoch was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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