2000
#12,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,290
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Hoefer
One who comes from a farm or village in a hollow or deep valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,644 Americans carry the last name Hoefer. That puts it at #12,770 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,635 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoefer 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
2.6K
1 in 129,635
Census rank
#12,770
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,306 bearers of the surname Hoefer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12770th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hoefer can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 9th to the 15th centuries.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoefer
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoefer 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 Hoefer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 2,080
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 74
- Two or more races2.9% · 68
- Black or African American2.5% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoefer
Hoefer 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
#12,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,375
+85 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 505 places
2020
#12,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,306
-69 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,430 | 2,290 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,935 | 2,375 | 0.81 | +85 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 505 places |
| 2020 | #12,770 | 2,306 | 0.77 | -69 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 165 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 Hoefer 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 | #12,935 | #12,770 | 1.3% |
| Count | 2,375 | 2,306 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.77 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoefer bearers went from 2,375 to 2,306 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 165 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,935 to #12,770.
FAQ
Hoefer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoefer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,644 living Americans carry the surname Hoefer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,635 residents.
How common is Hoefer?
Hoefer ranks #12,770 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,306 people with the surname Hoefer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,644), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Hoefer.
Has Hoefer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoefer went from 2,375 recorded bearers to 2,306. That is a decrease of 69 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,935 to #12,770.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoefer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Hoefer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (2,080 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoefer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Hoefer (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 Hoefer mean?
One who comes from a farm or village in a hollow or deep valley. 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 Hoefer (0.77 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 last name Hoefer?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Hoefer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.