2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hoebing
A surname derived from occupational origins, likely referring to a farmer or farm worker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Hoebing. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoebing 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Hoebing in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoebing, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoebing
The surname HOEBING is of German origin, originating from the Rhineland region in the late medieval period around the 14th century. It is derived from the Middle High German words "houb" meaning head and "bing" meaning hill or small mountain, likely referring to a person who lived near a prominent hillside or on a hilltop.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Wachenbuch, a register of landowners and tenants, from the town of Bonn in 1398, where a certain Johann Hoebing is listed as a farmer. The name also appears in various church records and tax rolls from the region during the 15th and 16th centuries.
In the 16th century, a variant spelling "Hobing" is found in the town of Koblenz, suggesting that the name may have spread to other parts of the Rhineland over time. The name is also documented in the nearby Trier region, where a Hans Höbing is recorded as a vintner in 1542.
During the 17th century, the HOEBING name gained some prominence with the birth of Johann Wilhelm Hoebing (1642-1718), a notable jurist and legal scholar from Cologne. His son, Johann Peter Hoebing (1674-1743), followed in his footsteps and became a respected lawyer and judge in the city.
Another notable figure was Matthias Hoebing (1760-1835), a merchant and philanthropist from Aachen, who donated a significant portion of his wealth to establish a school for underprivileged children in his hometown.
In the 19th century, the HOEBING name spread further as some members of the family migrated to other parts of Germany and Europe. One such individual was Friedrich Hoebing (1822-1898), a civil engineer who oversaw the construction of several railways in the Prussian province of Westphalia.
As the centuries passed, the HOEBING surname continued to be borne by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, academics, and professionals, though it remained relatively uncommon outside of the Rhineland region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoebing
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoebing, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoebing 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 Hoebing surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoebing
Hoebing 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-19 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 28,096 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+9 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,823 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 28,096 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 8,823 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 Hoebing 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 | #156,044 | #147,221 | 5.7% |
| Count | 104 | 113 | 8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoebing bearers went from 104 to 113 (+8.7% change). The surname moved up 8,823 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #147,221.
FAQ
Hoebing surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoebing?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Hoebing. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Hoebing?
Hoebing ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Hoebing. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Hoebing.
Has Hoebing become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoebing went from 104 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 9 (+8.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoebing?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoebing, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Hoebing in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoebing appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Hispanic (1.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Hoebing (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 Hoebing mean?
A surname derived from occupational origins, likely referring to a farmer or farm worker. 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 Hoebing (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 many Americans have the surname Hoebing?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.