2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hoehle
A German surname derived from the word "Höhle" meaning "cave" or "cavern".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Hoehle. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoehle 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Hoehle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoehle, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoehle
The surname "HOEHLE" has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged during the medieval period. The name is derived from the German word "höhle," which means "cave" or "cavern." It is believed that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near or worked in a cave.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "HOEHLE" can be found in historical records from the 13th century in the region of Saxony, where a family bearing this surname was documented. The name also appears in various medieval manuscripts and chronicles from different parts of Germany, suggesting its widespread use during that time.
In the 15th century, there are records of a prominent family named HOEHLE in the city of Nuremberg, which was a major center of trade and commerce during the Renaissance. The family was involved in various business ventures and played an important role in the city's economic and cultural life.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name "HOEHLE" continued to be found in various parts of Germany, with notable individuals bearing this surname. One such person was Johann HOEHLE (1529-1594), a Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the religious and intellectual life of his time.
In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname "HOEHLE" was Johann Friedrich HOEHLE (1724-1805), a German mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and was recognized for his work on the calculation of planetary orbits.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Karl HOEHLE (1819-1887), a German politician and statesman who served as the Minister of Justice in Prussia during the latter half of the 19th century.
The name "HOEHLE" has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Hoehlenstadt (meaning "Cave City") and Hoehlenbach (meaning "Cave Stream"), which further reinforces the connection between the surname and its geographical or topographical origins.
While the surname "HOEHLE" has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora, with families bearing this name now residing in various countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoehle
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoehle, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoehle 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 Hoehle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoehle
Hoehle 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-13 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,574 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,531 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 19,574 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 9,531 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 Hoehle 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 | #142,108 | #151,639 | -6.7% |
| Count | 117 | 107 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoehle bearers went from 117 to 107 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 9,531 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #151,639.
FAQ
Hoehle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoehle?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Hoehle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Hoehle?
Hoehle ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Hoehle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Hoehle.
Has Hoehle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoehle went from 117 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoehle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoehle, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Hoehle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoehle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Hispanic (0.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Hoehle (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 Hoehle mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Höhle" meaning "cave" or "cavern". 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 Hoehle (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 people are called Hoehle?
See how common the surname Hoehle is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.