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

Hoffmann, 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 Hoffmann surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hoffmann in America

Hoffmann is the 2136th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hoffmann surname appeared 16,966 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Hoffmann.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hoffmann 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 Hoffmann

The surname Hoffmann is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "hof," meaning a courtyard or small farm. It is an occupational name, initially given to an overseer or steward of a manor or farm.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany. One notable mention is in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which includes references to individuals with the surname Hoffmann as early as 1240.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts across German-speaking regions, including the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history published in 1493, which mentions several individuals with the surname Hoffmann.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johann Hoffmann, a German painter and engraver who lived from around 1500 to 1566. His works can be found in several galleries and museums across Europe.

Another notable figure was Friedrich Hoffmann, a German physician and chemist born in 1660 in Halle, Saxony. He is widely regarded as a pioneer in the field of modern medicine and made significant contributions to the understanding of human physiology and disease.

In the 18th century, the name gained prominence with the composer Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, better known as E.T.A. Hoffmann, born in 1776 in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). He is renowned for his literary works, including the famous novella "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," which inspired Tchaikovsky's famous ballet.

The 19th century saw the rise of another famous Hoffmann, August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, born in 1798 in Fallersleben, Lower Saxony. He was a renowned German poet, philologist, and academic, best known for writing the lyrics to the German national anthem, "Das Lied der Deutschen."

In the 20th century, the name was associated with the German-American architect and industrial designer Hans Joachim Hoffmann, born in 1913 in Munich, Germany. He was a influential figure in the Bauhaus movement and played a significant role in shaping modern design principles.

While the surname Hoffmann is most commonly found in Germany and other German-speaking regions, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration, carrying with it a rich history and cultural significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hoffmann

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

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

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

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