2000
#5,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,064
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.25
Rare Last name
Hoffer
A German occupational surname referring to a person who owned or worked on a farm or estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,301 Americans carry the last name Hoffer. That puts it at #6,018 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,397 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoffer 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
6.3K
1 in 54,397
Census rank
#6,018
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,495 bearers of the surname Hoffer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6018th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoffer
The surname Hoffer is of German origin and dates back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Hof", which means "courtyard" or "farmstead". This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived or worked on a farm or courtyard.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Hoffer can be found in various German historical documents and records from the 16th and 17th centuries. For example, the name appears in the church records of the town of Rottweil in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in the year 1587.
In the 17th century, the Hoffer name was also found in the records of the town of Bühl, located in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg. Some of the earliest recorded bearers of the name include Johann Hoffer, born in Bühl in 1632, and Hans Hoffer, born in the same town in 1649.
As the name spread across different regions of Germany, variations in spelling emerged, such as Hofer, Hoffer, and Höffer. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the conventions of record-keeping at the time.
One notable figure with the Hoffer surname was Johann Baptist Hoffer, a German Catholic priest and theologian who lived from 1611 to 1683. He was born in the town of Horb am Neckar in Baden-Württemberg and became a prominent figure in the Catholic Church during the 17th century.
Another historical figure with the Hoffer name was Johann Hoffer, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1668 to 1720. He was born in Augsburg, Bavaria, and is known for his portraits and religious paintings.
In the 19th century, the Hoffer name also appeared in the records of the town of Pforzheim, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. One notable individual from this period was Carl Hoffer, a German industrialist and inventor who lived from 1828 to 1899. He is credited with developing the process of galvanizing iron and steel, which greatly improved their resistance to corrosion.
The Hoffer surname also spread beyond Germany, with some bearers emigrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. For example, in the late 19th century, a family with the surname Hoffer settled in the United States, establishing themselves in the state of Pennsylvania.
Throughout its history, the surname Hoffer has been associated with various occupations and professions, including farming, religious vocations, artistry, and industry. While its origins can be traced back to Germany, the name has since become more widespread, with bearers of the name found in various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoffer
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoffer 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 Hoffer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 5,024
- Two or more races3.6% · 196
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 169
- Black or African American0.9% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoffer
Hoffer 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
#5,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,969
-95 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 515 places
2020
#6,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,495
-474 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 222 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,281 | 6,064 | 2.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,796 | 5,969 | 2.02 | -95 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 515 places |
| 2020 | #6,018 | 5,495 | 1.84 | -474 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 222 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 Hoffer 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 | #5,796 | #6,018 | -3.8% |
| Count | 5,969 | 5,495 | -7.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.02 | 1.84 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoffer bearers went from 5,969 to 5,495 (-7.9% change). The surname moved down 222 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,796 to #6,018.
FAQ
Hoffer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoffer?
Name Census estimates that about 6,301 living Americans carry the surname Hoffer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,397 residents.
How common is Hoffer?
Hoffer ranks #6,018 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,495 people with the surname Hoffer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,301), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hoffer.
Has Hoffer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoffer went from 5,969 recorded bearers to 5,495. That is a decrease of 474 (-7.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,796 to #6,018.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoffer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Hoffer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (5,024 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoffer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Hoffer (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 Hoffer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a person who owned or worked on a farm or estate. 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 Hoffer (1.84 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 Hoffer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.