2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hohlstein
A German surname for someone who lived near a hollow or valley containing rocky outcroppings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Hohlstein. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hohlstein 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Hohlstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hohlstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hohlstein
The surname Hohlstein is of German origin, originating in the northern regions of the country during the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "hohl" meaning "hollow" and "stein" meaning "stone," suggesting a connection to a geographical feature or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hohlstein can be found in the Bürgermeisterbuch (Mayor's Book) of the town of Braunschweig, dating back to the 14th century. This document contains entries referring to individuals with the surname Hohlstein residing within the town's limits.
During the 16th century, the Hohlstein name appears in various church records and tax rolls across northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. Notable individuals from this period include Hans Hohlstein (1502-1572), a merchant and alderman in the city of Hamburg, and Gertrude Hohlstein (1524-1598), a renowned herbalist and midwife from the town of Lüneburg.
In the 17th century, the Hohlstein family gained prominence in the region of East Prussia, now part of modern-day Poland and Russia. Johann Hohlstein (1635-1711), a respected Lutheran pastor and theologian, was born in the city of Königsberg and served as a professor at the University of Königsberg.
The 18th century saw the Hohlstein name spread further across central and eastern Europe. One notable figure from this period was Friedrich Hohlstein (1748-1825), a Prussian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the prestigious Pour le Mérite order for his bravery and leadership.
As the 19th century dawned, the Hohlstein family continued to make their mark in various fields. Karl Hohlstein (1823-1897), a German-American engineer and inventor, is credited with developing several significant improvements to steam engine technology and held numerous patents in the United States.
Other notable individuals bearing the Hohlstein surname include Eva Hohlstein (1892-1968), a German painter and printmaker associated with the Expressionist movement, and Erich Hohlstein (1906-1985), a German-born American chemist who made significant contributions to the field of polymer chemistry and worked for companies like DuPont and Eastman Kodak.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hohlstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Hohlstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hohlstein 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 Hohlstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hohlstein
Hohlstein 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,706 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,706 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 1,100 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 Hohlstein 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 | #143,149 | #142,049 | 0.8% |
| Count | 116 | 120 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hohlstein bearers went from 116 to 120 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 1,100 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #142,049.
FAQ
Hohlstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hohlstein?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Hohlstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Hohlstein?
Hohlstein ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Hohlstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Hohlstein.
Has Hohlstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hohlstein went from 116 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 4 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Hohlstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hohlstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Black (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 Hohlstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hohlstein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Hispanic (1.7%), Black (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 Hohlstein (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 Hohlstein mean?
A German surname for someone who lived near a hollow or valley containing rocky outcroppings. 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 Hohlstein (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 people have the surname Hohlstein?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.