2000
#12,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,164
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Hofstetter
A surname indicating someone who lived near or worked at a monastery or abbey farm.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,461 Americans carry the last name Hofstetter. That puts it at #13,541 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,274 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hofstetter 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
2.5K
1 in 139,274
Census rank
#13,541
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,146 bearers of the surname Hofstetter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13541st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hofstetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hofstetter
Among Census respondents with the surname Hofstetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hofstetter 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 Hofstetter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 1,968
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 81
- Two or more races3.0% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hofstetter
Hofstetter 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
#13,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,195
+31 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 795 places
2020
#13,541
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,146
-49 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 240 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,986 | 2,164 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,781 | 2,195 | 0.74 | +31 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 795 places |
| 2020 | #13,541 | 2,146 | 0.72 | -49 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 240 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 Hofstetter 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 | #13,781 | #13,541 | 1.7% |
| Count | 2,195 | 2,146 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.72 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hofstetter bearers went from 2,195 to 2,146 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 240 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,781 to #13,541.
FAQ
Hofstetter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hofstetter?
Name Census estimates that about 2,461 living Americans carry the surname Hofstetter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,274 residents.
How common is Hofstetter?
Hofstetter ranks #13,541 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,146 people with the surname Hofstetter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,461), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hofstetter.
Has Hofstetter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hofstetter went from 2,195 recorded bearers to 2,146. That is a decrease of 49 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,781 to #13,541.
What does the Census say about the background of Hofstetter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hofstetter, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Hofstetter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (1,968 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hofstetter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Hofstetter (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 Hofstetter mean?
A surname indicating someone who lived near or worked at a monastery or abbey 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 Hofstetter (0.72 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 people share the surname Hofstetter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.