2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hoffeld
From Middle High German, an estate, farm or village in an open field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Hoffeld. 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 Hoffeld 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 Hoffeld 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 Hoffeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoffeld
The surname HOFFELD is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "hof," meaning a courtyard or a farmstead, and "feld," meaning a field or an open area. The name likely originated in various regions of Germany where people lived and worked on farms or estates.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HOFFELD can be found in the German town of Düsseldorf, where a family by the name of HOFFELD resided in the late 16th century. Records from the local church archives mention a Johannes HOFFELD, who was born in 1572.
In the 17th century, the HOFFELD name appeared in various historical documents and records across different regions of Germany. For instance, the Prussian Census of 1688 lists several families with the surname HOFFELD residing in the towns of Köln and Mainz.
A notable figure with the HOFFELD surname was Hans HOFFELD, a German merchant and trader who lived in the city of Hamburg during the early 18th century. He was born in 1695 and became a prominent figure in the city's thriving trade industry.
Another historical figure was Katharina HOFFELD, a German poetess and writer who lived in the late 18th century. She was born in 1765 in the city of Weimar and is known for her collection of poems and literary works that celebrated the beauty of nature and rural life.
In the 19th century, the HOFFELD name gained prominence in the field of education and academia. One such individual was Friedrich HOFFELD, a renowned German scholar and educator who lived from 1802 to 1878. He served as the headmaster of several prestigious schools in Berlin and was widely respected for his contributions to the field of education.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm HOFFELD, a German architect who lived from 1825 to 1901. He designed several notable buildings and landmarks in the cities of Munich and Dresden, including the iconic Hoffeld Palace, which still stands as a testament to his architectural prowess.
Throughout its history, the surname HOFFELD has been associated with various professions and walks of life, from merchants and traders to poets, educators, and architects. Its German roots and connection to rural life and farming have endured, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoffeld
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoffeld 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 Hoffeld surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 100
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoffeld
Hoffeld 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
-4 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,329 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-19 bearers (-15.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,776 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 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 11,329 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-15.1%) | Down 17,776 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 Hoffeld 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 | #133,863 | #151,639 | -13.3% |
| Count | 126 | 107 | -15.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoffeld bearers went from 126 to 107 (-15.1% change). The surname moved down 17,776 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #151,639.
FAQ
Hoffeld surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoffeld?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Hoffeld. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Hoffeld?
Hoffeld 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 Hoffeld. 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 Hoffeld.
Has Hoffeld become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoffeld went from 126 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 19 (-15.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoffeld?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffeld, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Hoffeld in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoffeld appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Black (1.9%). 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 Hoffeld (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 Hoffeld mean?
From Middle High German, an estate, farm or village in an open field. 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 Hoffeld (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 Americans have the surname Hoffeld?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.