2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hoebbel
A Germanic surname derived from a short form of a given name, possibly Hubert or Hobart.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Hoebbel. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoebbel 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Hoebbel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoebbel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoebbel
The surname HOEBBEL is of German origin, originating in the regions of central and northern Germany during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "huobel," which referred to a small hill or raised area of land. This suggests that the name may have originally been a topographic descriptor, likely given to someone who lived on or near a small hill or elevated land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HOEBBEL can be found in the records of the town of Göttingen, in Lower Saxony, where a man named Hans HOEBBEL is mentioned in a document dated 1487. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the surname HOEBBEL appears in various church records and local chronicles across northern and central Germany. Notable examples include Johannes HOEBBEL, a merchant from the town of Lübeck, born around 1520, and Margaretha HOEBBEL, a landowner from the village of Gröningen, whose name is recorded in a land deed from 1587.
As the centuries passed, the spelling of the surname evolved slightly, with variations such as HOBBEL, HÖBBEL, and HÜBEL appearing in various records. However, the core pronunciation and meaning remained largely unchanged.
One of the earliest known individuals of note to bear the surname HOEBBEL was Johann Friedrich HOEBBEL, a German theologian and author who lived from 1711 to 1786. He was born in the town of Wernigerode and is best known for his work "Institutiones Theologiae Dogmaticae," a influential treatise on Protestant theology.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm HOEBBEL, a German composer and musician who lived from 1837 to 1917. He was born in the city of Cologne and composed numerous works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and choral groups, contributing significantly to the cultural landscape of 19th-century Germany.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname HOEBBEL was Ernst HOEBBEL, a German architect who lived from 1892 to 1962. He was a prominent figure in the Bauhaus movement and designed several iconic buildings, including the Bundesschule des Allgemeinen Deutschen Gewerkschaftsbundes in Bernau and the Haus am Horn in Weimar.
Other notable individuals with the surname HOEBBEL include Karl HOEBBEL, a German painter and illustrator active in the late 19th century, and Gabriele HOEBBEL, a contemporary German writer and novelist known for her works exploring themes of identity and cultural displacement.
Overall, the surname HOEBBEL has a rich history that spans centuries and reflects the diverse contributions of those who have borne it, from theologians and composers to architects and artists, all leaving their mark on the cultural and intellectual landscape of Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoebbel
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoebbel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoebbel 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 Hoebbel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoebbel
Hoebbel 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-12 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,707 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 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 11,707 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 Hoebbel 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 | #150,935 | -8.4% |
| Count | 120 | 108 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoebbel bearers went from 120 to 108 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 11,707 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #150,935.
FAQ
Hoebbel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoebbel?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Hoebbel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Hoebbel?
Hoebbel ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Hoebbel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Hoebbel.
Has Hoebbel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoebbel went from 120 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoebbel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoebbel, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Hoebbel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoebbel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Hoebbel (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 Hoebbel mean?
A Germanic surname derived from a short form of a given name, possibly Hubert or Hobart. 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 Hoebbel (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 Hoebbel?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Hoebbel? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.