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

Hoffman, 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 Hoffman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hoffman in America

Hoffman is the 224th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hoffman surname appeared 131,401 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 45 people would have the surname Hoffman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hoffman 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 Hoffman

The surname Hoffman is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "hof," meaning a courtyard or a farm, and the suffix "-mann," meaning a man or a person. The name Hoffman essentially translates to "a man from the courtyard" or "a farmer."

The earliest recorded instances of the name Hoffman can be found in various medieval German documents and records from the 13th and 14th centuries. The name was particularly prevalent in regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland, where it was often associated with landowners, farmers, and those who worked on agricultural estates.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Hoffman was Johannes Hoffman, a German scholar and humanist who lived from 1519 to 1566. He was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation and played a significant role in the development of education in Germany.

Another notable Hoffman was the German philosopher and writer Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, who lived from 1776 to 1822. He is best known for his fictional works, including the famous novella "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," which inspired the beloved ballet "The Nutcracker."

In the realm of science, August Wilhelm von Hofmann (1818-1892) was a renowned German chemist who made significant contributions to the field of organic chemistry. He is credited with establishing the principles of modern chemical nomenclature and promoting the widespread use of structural formulas.

Moving into the arts, the name Hoffman is associated with the American painter Hans Hofmann (1880-1966), who was a pioneer of Abstract Expressionism and had a profound influence on the development of modern art in the United States.

Lastly, the surname Hoffman has also been prominent in the field of sports, with names like Trevor Hoffman (born 1967), a former professional baseball player and one of the most accomplished relief pitchers in Major League Baseball history.

Throughout its long history, the surname Hoffman has been spelled in various ways, including Hofmann, Hoffmann, and Hofman, reflecting regional variations and spelling preferences over time. These different spellings all share the same etymological roots and historical significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hoffman

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

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

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

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