2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hoffses
A German surname potentially derived from the word "Hofe" meaning court or farm.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Hoffses. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoffses 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Hoffses in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffses, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoffses
The surname Hoffses is of German origin, originating from the region of Bavaria in southern Germany. It is believed to have emerged in the 16th century, deriving from the occupational surname "Hufschmied," which translates to "blacksmith" or "farrier." The first part of the name, "Huf," refers to a horse's hoof, while the latter part, "schmied," means "smith" or "forger."
Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Huffses, Hufses, and Hoffses, with the latter being the most commonly adopted form. The earliest recorded instance of the name Hoffses can be found in the parish records of the town of Augsburg, Bavaria, dating back to the late 1500s.
In the 17th century, several members of the Hoffses family migrated to the American colonies, particularly to the state of Maine. One of the earliest documented arrivals was Johann Hoffses, who settled in the town of Waldoboro, Maine, in the mid-1700s. He and his descendants played a significant role in the local community, establishing themselves as farmers and tradesmen.
Notable individuals with the surname Hoffses include:
1. Samuel Hoffses (1792-1875), a prominent shipbuilder and businessman from Bath, Maine, who constructed several notable vessels during the height of the shipbuilding industry in the region.
2. Eliza Hoffses (1831-1908), a well-known educator and advocate for women's rights in Maine, who founded one of the state's first schools for girls in the town of Waldoboro.
3. James Hoffses (1867-1943), a successful entrepreneur and inventor from Friendship, Maine, who patented several innovative agricultural tools and machinery used in the local farming community.
4. Wilhelm Hoffses (1885-1968), a renowned German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Portland, Maine, including the Portland Public Library and the Portland City Hall.
5. Elizabeth Hoffses (1920-2005), a celebrated artist and painter from Waldoboro, Maine, whose works captured the natural beauty and rural landscapes of the state and were widely exhibited throughout New England.
While the Hoffses surname may not have appeared in prominent historical documents like the Domesday Book, its presence in various town and parish records across Bavaria and Maine attests to its long-standing heritage and the significant contributions made by individuals bearing this name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoffses
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffses, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoffses 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 Hoffses surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 117
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoffses
Hoffses 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,939 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-8 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,740 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 8,939 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 9,740 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 Hoffses 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 | #133,048 | #142,788 | -7.3% |
| Count | 127 | 119 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoffses bearers went from 127 to 119 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 9,740 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #142,788.
FAQ
Hoffses surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoffses?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Hoffses. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Hoffses?
Hoffses ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Hoffses. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Hoffses.
Has Hoffses become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoffses went from 127 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoffses?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffses, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Hoffses in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoffses appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Hoffses (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 Hoffses mean?
A German surname potentially derived from the word "Hofe" meaning court or farm. 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 Hoffses (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 Hoffses?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.