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

Hoefer, 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 Hoefer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hoefer in America

Hoefer is the 12935th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hoefer surname appeared 2,375 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hoefer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hoefer 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 Hoefer

The surname Hoefer is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "huoba," which means "a small landholding or farm." The name likely originated in the region of modern-day southern Germany, where many families held small parcels of land and took on surnames related to their occupation or property.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hoefer can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 9th to the 15th centuries. This codex contains a reference to a man named Cunradus Hoefer from the town of Augsburg in Bavaria, dated around the year 1250.

In the 14th century, the Hoefer name appeared in various town records and tax rolls throughout the German states. For example, a Johann Hoefer was listed as a landowner in the town of Nürnberg in 1357, while a Hans Hoefer was recorded as a farmer in the village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1382.

During the Renaissance period, several notable figures bore the Hoefer surname. One such individual was Johann Hoefer (1520-1587), a German humanist scholar and writer who authored several works on philosophy and theology. Another was Georg Hoefer (1572-1647), a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

In the 18th century, the Hoefer name gained prominence with the birth of Johann Christian Hoefer (1738-1803), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Göttingen. His son, Johann Christian Ferdinand Hoefer (1765-1837), followed in his footsteps and became a respected historian and writer.

Another notable figure was Ernst Hoefer (1819-1882), a German bibliographer and author who published several influential works on literature and history. His "Nouvelle Biographie Générale" (New General Biography), a 46-volume biographical dictionary published between 1853 and 1866, is considered a landmark work in the field of biography.

While the Hoefer surname is most commonly associated with Germany, it has also been found in other parts of Europe and the Americas, likely due to migration and immigration patterns over the centuries. However, the name remains deeply rooted in its German heritage and continues to be a testament to the rich cultural and historical legacy of the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hoefer

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

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

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

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