2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hoffheins
A German locational surname derived from a place name meaning "high headland" or "high settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Hoffheins. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoffheins 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Hoffheins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffheins, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoffheins
The surname Hoffheins is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Bavaria. It is thought to have emerged sometime during the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the German words "Hof" meaning "farm" or "court" and "Hain" which translates to "grove" or "small wood". This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived near a farmstead or courtyard surrounded by a small wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Hoffheins can be found in the Bavarian town records from the mid-15th century. These records document a certain Hans Hoffheins, a farmer who lived in the village of Altmühltal. The name is also found in various other local documents from that time period, often spelled slightly differently, such as "Hoffhains" or "Hofhains".
In the late 16th century, a notable figure named Johann Hoffheins (1544-1612) was a respected Lutheran theologian and educator who served as rector of the prestigious Egidiengymnasium in Nuremberg. His writings and teachings on religious matters were widely influential during the Protestant Reformation.
The Hoffheins name also appears in the records of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), with several soldiers bearing the name serving in various German armies and militias throughout the conflict. One such soldier, Friedrich Hoffheins (1603-1671), is said to have fought valiantly at the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634.
During the 18th century, the Hoffheins surname began to spread beyond Bavaria, with some families settling in other parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring regions like Austria and Switzerland. A notable figure from this era was the German composer and organist, Georg Hoffheins (1738-1805), who served as the court musician for the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg.
In the 19th century, the name Hoffheins can be found in various genealogical records and local histories across southern Germany. One prominent individual was the Bavarian politician and lawyer, Karl Hoffheins (1818-1892), who served as a member of the Bavarian Landtag (state parliament) and was a vocal advocate for civil rights and legal reform.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoffheins
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffheins, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoffheins 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 Hoffheins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 104
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoffheins
Hoffheins 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+6 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,439 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,858 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 3,439 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,858 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 Hoffheins 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 | #148,347 | #150,205 | -1.3% |
| Count | 111 | 109 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoffheins bearers went from 111 to 109 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 1,858 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #150,205.
FAQ
Hoffheins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoffheins?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Hoffheins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Hoffheins?
Hoffheins ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Hoffheins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Hoffheins.
Has Hoffheins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoffheins went from 111 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoffheins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffheins, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Hoffheins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoffheins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Hoffheins (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 Hoffheins mean?
A German locational surname derived from a place name meaning "high headland" or "high settlement." 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 Hoffheins (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 people share the surname Hoffheins?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.