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

Hofer, 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 Hofer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hofer in America

Hofer is the 4617th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hofer surname appeared 7,682 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Hofer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hofer 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 Hofer

The surname Hofer is of German origin and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "Hof," meaning a court, farmyard, or manor house. The name was likely first given to someone who lived or worked on a manor or farm.

Hofer was initially found in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany. The earliest known record of the name appears in a document from Augsburg, Bavaria, in 1189, where a person named "Chuonradus de Hoffe" is mentioned.

In the 13th century, the name Hofer began to spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. It was often spelled differently in various regions, such as "Hoffer," "Höfer," or "Höffer."

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Ulrich Hofer, a merchant from Nuremberg, who was born around 1360. Another notable figure was Hans Hofer, a peasant leader during the German Peasants' War in the 16th century.

The name Hofer is also connected to several place names in Germany and Austria, such as Hofermühle, a village in Bavaria, and Hoferberg, a mountain in Tyrol, Austria.

In the 17th century, Andreas Hofer (1767-1810) became a famous Tyrolean patriot and leader of the Tyrolean Rebellion against Napoleon's forces. He is considered a national hero in Austria and is celebrated for his courage and leadership.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hofer include Johann Baptist Hofer (1765-1836), an Austrian painter known for his religious works, and Karl Hofer (1878-1955), a German expressionist painter and printmaker.

Throughout its history, the surname Hofer has been associated with various occupations, including farmers, landowners, merchants, and artisans, reflecting its origin and connection to rural life and agricultural communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hofer

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

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

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

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