2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hofmaster
An occupational surname referring to a master or overseer of a household, court, or estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Hofmaster. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hofmaster 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Hofmaster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hofmaster, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hofmaster
The surname Hofmaster is of German origin, derived from the occupational term "Hofmeister," which referred to a steward or manager of a manor house or estate. The name first emerged in the 12th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland.
The word "Hof" in German translates to "court" or "yard," while "Meister" means "master" or "skilled person." Historically, the Hofmeister was responsible for overseeing the daily operations and management of a nobleman's household, including supervising servants, managing finances, and ensuring the smooth running of the estate.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hofmaster can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, where a certain Heinrich Hofmeister is mentioned in a charter dated 1239.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Hofmeister, Hofmeyster, and Hoffmeister, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. An entry in the Wittenberg Parish Records from 1387 lists a Johannes Hoffmeister, who was likely a resident of the town at that time.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Hofmaster include Johann Hofmaster (1547-1621), a German theologian and philosopher from Nuremberg, who authored several works on logic and metaphysics. Another prominent figure was Hans Hofmaster (1635-1704), a German architect and builder who designed several churches and public buildings in the Baroque style.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Hofmaster was particularly prevalent in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia, where it was associated with families involved in estate management and administration. Instances of the name can be found in various municipal records, tax rolls, and guild registers from that period.
During the 19th century, the surname Hofmaster was also found in parts of Switzerland, particularly in the cantons of Bern and Zurich, likely due to migration from Germany. One notable Swiss bearer of the name was Wilhelm Hofmaster (1819-1897), a politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1869 to 1873.
While the name Hofmaster has been found in various other countries due to immigration, its origins can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of central Europe, where it was closely associated with the occupation of estate management and stewardship.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hofmaster
Among Census respondents with the surname Hofmaster, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hofmaster 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 Hofmaster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 100
- Two or more races5.2% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hofmaster
Hofmaster 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+11 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 548 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-17 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,779 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 548 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 16,779 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 Hofmaster 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 | #128,249 | #145,028 | -13.1% |
| Count | 133 | 116 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hofmaster bearers went from 133 to 116 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 16,779 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #145,028.
FAQ
Hofmaster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hofmaster?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Hofmaster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Hofmaster?
Hofmaster ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Hofmaster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Hofmaster.
Has Hofmaster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hofmaster went from 133 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Hofmaster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hofmaster, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Hofmaster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hofmaster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Hofmaster (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 Hofmaster mean?
An occupational surname referring to a master or overseer of a household, court, 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 Hofmaster (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 common is the surname Hofmaster?
Want to know how many people have the surname Hofmaster? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.