2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hoerchler
A surname of German origin meaning "one who comes from Horch", a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 173 Americans carry the last name Hoerchler. That puts it at #120,768 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,981,239 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoerchler 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
173
1 in 1,981,239
Census rank
#120,768
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
151
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 151 bearers of the surname Hoerchler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 120768th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoerchler, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoerchler
The surname Hoerchler is of German origin, originating in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "horchen," which means "to listen" or "to hear." This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational name given to someone who worked as a listener or an informant.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Hoerchler can be traced back to the 15th century in various German municipal records and chronicles. One notable mention is found in the 1487 tax records of the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, where a certain Hanns Hoerchler is listed as a resident.
In the 16th century, the Hoerchler name appears in the chronicles of the city of Augsburg, where a family of that name is mentioned as prominent merchants and artisans. The name is also found in the church records of the nearby town of Nördlingen, indicating that the Hoerchlers were well-established in the region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Hoerchler surname is Konrad Hoerchler, a successful merchant who lived in Augsburg in the late 16th century (c. 1550-1620). His son, Christoph Hoerchler (1585-1647), was a renowned goldsmith and engraver, whose works were highly sought after by the nobility of the time.
In the 17th century, the Hoerchler family expanded its presence throughout southern Germany, with various branches settling in towns such as Nuremberg, Regensburg, and Munich. A notable figure from this period was Johann Michael Hoerchler (1622-1698), a renowned composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince-Bishops of Bamberg.
Another prominent individual with the Hoerchler surname was Katharina Hoerchler (1688-1753), a renowned Baroque painter from Nuremberg. Her works, which included portraits and religious scenes, were highly regarded and can be found in several museums and private collections across Europe.
As the Hoerchler family continued to spread throughout Germany and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Hörchler, Hörcheler, and Hoercheler. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained largely unchanged, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of southern Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoerchler
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoerchler, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Hoerchler 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 Hoerchler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 151
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoerchler
Hoerchler 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
#118,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
+14 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 2,205 places
2020
#120,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151
+5 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,915 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,853 | 146 | 0.05 | +14 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 2,205 places |
| 2020 | #120,768 | 151 | 0.05 | +5 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 1,915 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 Hoerchler 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 | #118,853 | #120,768 | -1.6% |
| Count | 146 | 151 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoerchler bearers went from 146 to 151 (+3.4% change). The surname moved down 1,915 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,853 to #120,768.
FAQ
Hoerchler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoerchler?
Name Census estimates that about 173 living Americans carry the surname Hoerchler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,981,239 residents.
How common is Hoerchler?
Hoerchler ranks #120,768 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 151 people with the surname Hoerchler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (173), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Hoerchler.
Has Hoerchler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoerchler went from 146 recorded bearers to 151. That is an increase of 5 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #118,853 to #120,768.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoerchler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoerchler, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Hoerchler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (151 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoerchler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Hoerchler (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 Hoerchler mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "one who comes from Horch", a place name. 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 Hoerchler (0.05 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 share the surname Hoerchler?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.