2000
#9,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,992
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Hoeft
A German occupational surname referring to a farmer who owned and cultivated a small plot of land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,401 Americans carry the last name Hoeft. That puts it at #10,326 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,780 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoeft 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
3.4K
1 in 100,780
Census rank
#10,326
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,966 bearers of the surname Hoeft in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10326th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoeft, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoeft
The surname Hoeft originated in Germany, with its earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "hovet," meaning "head" or "chief." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who held a position of authority or leadership within their community.
One of the earliest known references to the Hoeft surname can be found in the records of the city of Lübeck, in northern Germany. In 1587, a man named Hans Hoeft was listed as a resident of the city. This provides evidence that the name was already in use during the late 16th century.
The Hoeft surname also appears in various historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries. For instance, in 1678, a man named Johann Hoeft was recorded as a landowner in the village of Neukirchen, near the city of Uelzen in Lower Saxony. Additionally, in 1742, a farmer named Friedrich Hoeft was listed in the records of the town of Bremervörde, located in the northwestern region of Germany.
Notably, the Hoeft surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Gustav Hoeft (1844-1924), a German architect who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin, including the Reichsbank building and the Charlottenburg Palace.
Another significant figure was Karl Hoeft (1887-1958), a German politician who served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) during the Weimar Republic era. He was a vocal critic of the Nazi regime and was eventually imprisoned for his opposition to the government.
In the realm of literature, the Hoeft surname is represented by Hans Hoeft (1911-2001), a German writer and poet who was known for his lyrical works and his contributions to the post-war literary scene in Germany.
Moving further back in history, there are records of a nobleman named Johann von Hoeft, who lived in the 15th century and held lands in the region of Mecklenburg, in northern Germany. This suggests that the Hoeft surname may have had noble roots in certain areas of the country.
While the Hoeft surname is predominantly found in Germany, it has also been traced to other parts of Europe, such as the Netherlands and Scandinavia, likely due to migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoeft
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoeft, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoeft 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 Hoeft surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,733
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 90
- Two or more races2.4% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoeft
Hoeft 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
#10,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,056
+64 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 550 places
2020
#10,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,966
-90 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,949 | 2,992 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,499 | 3,056 | 1.04 | +64 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 550 places |
| 2020 | #10,326 | 2,966 | 0.99 | -90 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 173 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 Hoeft 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 | #10,499 | #10,326 | 1.6% |
| Count | 3,056 | 2,966 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.99 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoeft bearers went from 3,056 to 2,966 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,499 to #10,326.
FAQ
Hoeft surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoeft?
Name Census estimates that about 3,401 living Americans carry the surname Hoeft. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,780 residents.
How common is Hoeft?
Hoeft ranks #10,326 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,966 people with the surname Hoeft. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,401), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Hoeft.
Has Hoeft become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoeft went from 3,056 recorded bearers to 2,966. That is a decrease of 90 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,499 to #10,326.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoeft?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoeft, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Hoeft in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,733 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoeft appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Hoeft (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 Hoeft mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a farmer who owned and cultivated a small plot of land. 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 Hoeft (0.99 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 surname Hoeft?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.