2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hoffay
A variant German surname derived from the personal name Hof, meaning "farm" or "courtyard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Hoffay. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoffay 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Hoffay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffay, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoffay
The surname Hoffay is believed to have originated in Germany, where it was likely derived from the German word "Hof," which means "courtyard" or "farm." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals who lived or worked on a farm or near a courtyard.
In its earliest recorded forms, the surname was often spelled as "Hoffai" or "Hoffey," with the current spelling of "Hoffay" becoming more standardized over time. The name can be traced back to the medieval period in Germany, with some of the earliest recorded instances appearing in local tax records and land registries.
One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Johann Hoffay, a farmer who lived in the village of Wittenberg, Germany, in the late 15th century. Records indicate that he owned a substantial amount of land and livestock, which was likely the source of his surname.
Another notable bearer of the Hoffay name was Hans Hoffay, a merchant who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the 16th century. He was involved in the trade of textiles and spices, and his business dealings took him to various parts of Europe.
In the 17th century, the Hoffay surname appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals with this surname may have migrated from Germany to England during this period.
One of the most prominent individuals with the Hoffay surname was Friedrich Hoffay, a German philosopher and scholar who lived in the 18th century (1720-1798). He was known for his writings on ethics and moral philosophy, and his works were widely read and influential during his lifetime.
Another notable figure was Anna Hoffay (1832-1912), a German-born artist who gained recognition for her landscape paintings depicting scenes from the Black Forest region of Germany. Her works were exhibited in several prestigious galleries throughout Europe.
In the 19th century, the Hoffay surname appeared in various historical records across Germany, as well as in other parts of Europe where Germans had migrated, such as Austria and Switzerland. However, it remained a relatively uncommon surname, with only a small number of individuals bearing this name at the time.
Overall, the surname Hoffay has a rich history rooted in the agricultural traditions of medieval Germany, and over the centuries, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, merchants, scholars, and artists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoffay
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffay, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoffay 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 Hoffay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 100
- Two or more races6.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoffay
Hoffay 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,280 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-7 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,993 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 11,280 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 7,993 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 Hoffay 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 | #139,228 | #147,221 | -5.7% |
| Count | 120 | 113 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoffay bearers went from 120 to 113 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 7,993 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #147,221.
FAQ
Hoffay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoffay?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Hoffay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Hoffay?
Hoffay ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Hoffay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Hoffay.
Has Hoffay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoffay went from 120 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoffay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffay, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%). 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 Hoffay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoffay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (6.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.4%). 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 Hoffay (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 Hoffay mean?
A variant German surname derived from the personal name Hof, meaning "farm" or "courtyard." 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 Hoffay (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 common is the surname Hoffay?
Want to know how many people have the last name Hoffay? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.