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

Hofstetter, 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 Hofstetter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hofstetter in America

Hofstetter is the 13781st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hofstetter surname appeared 2,195 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hofstetter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hofstetter 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 Hofstetter

The surname HOFSTETTER is of German origin, derived from the medieval German words "hof" meaning "court" or "farm" and "steter" meaning "steady" or "reliable". It likely originated as an occupational name for a steward or overseer of an estate or farm.

This surname first appeared in records from the southern German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg during the 13th and 14th centuries. Early spellings of the name included Hofsteter, Hofstetter, and Hofstätter.

One of the earliest known mentions of the HOFSTETTER name is in a 1389 document from the town of Augsburg, which refers to a "Hans Hofstetter". Another early record is from a 1427 manuscript in Würzburg that lists a "Kunz Hofstetter".

In the late 15th century, a prominent HOFSTETTER family lived in the town of Rottenburg am Neckar, where they were wealthy merchants and landowners. Johannes HOFSTETTER (1455-1524) was a respected jurist and served as the town's mayor.

During the 16th century, the HOFSTETTER name spread throughout southern Germany and into neighboring regions. Nikolaus HOFSTETTER (1520-1592) was a Protestant reformer and theologian from Nuremberg who worked alongside Martin Luther.

The HOFSTETTER surname also has a long history in Switzerland, particularly in the cantons of Bern and Zurich. Hans Rudolf HOFSTETTER (1630-1706) was a Swiss painter and engraver known for his religious works and landscapes.

Other notable individuals with the HOFSTETTER surname include Johann Christoph HOFSTETTER (1757-1844), a German composer and organist from Nuremberg, and Theodor HOFSTETTER (1864-1936), a Swiss architect who designed several buildings in Zurich.

Overall, the HOFSTETTER name has its roots in medieval Germany, where it likely originated as an occupational surname for a steward or overseer of an estate or farm.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hofstetter

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

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

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

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