2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hojem
A surname of Scandinavian origin, possibly derived from a homestead name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Hojem. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hojem 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Hojem in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hojem, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hojem
The surname HOJEM has its origins in Norway, tracing back to the late Middle Ages around the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse words "haugr" meaning hill or mound, and "heimr" meaning home or farmstead. The name likely referred to individuals who lived on or near a particular hill or elevated area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents, where a person named Halvor Hojem is mentioned in a land transaction dated 1472. This suggests that the name was already in use during that time period.
In the 16th century, a variant spelling "Haugjem" appears in church records from the Gudbrandsdalen valley in central Norway, indicating the name's connection to the local geography and settlements in that region.
The name is also associated with the historical farm Hojem gård, located in the municipality of Voss in western Norway. This farm has been documented as far back as the 16th century, and it is possible that the surname originated from this specific location.
Notable individuals with the surname HOJEM include:
1. Nils Hojem (1844-1928), a Norwegian-American farmer and politician who served in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
2. Halvor Hojem (1880-1959), a Norwegian-American Lutheran minister and author from North Dakota.
3. Arne Hojem (1901-1985), a Norwegian politician and member of the Storting, the supreme legislature of Norway.
4. Sigurd Hojem (1920-2002), a Norwegian architect and urban planner known for his work in Oslo.
5. Kari Hojem (born 1963), a Norwegian singer and songwriter who has released several albums in the country music genre.
While the HOJEM surname may not be as widely recognized as some other Norwegian surnames, its history reflects the rich cultural heritage and geographical influences that have shaped many family names in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hojem
Among Census respondents with the surname Hojem, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hojem 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 Hojem surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hojem
Hojem 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+8 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,521 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-6 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 1,521 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 7,453 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 Hojem 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 | #138,304 | #145,757 | -5.4% |
| Count | 121 | 115 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hojem bearers went from 121 to 115 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 7,453 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #145,757.
FAQ
Hojem surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hojem?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Hojem. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Hojem?
Hojem ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Hojem. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Hojem.
Has Hojem become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hojem went from 121 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Hojem?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hojem, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Hojem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hojem appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Hojem (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 Hojem mean?
A surname of Scandinavian origin, possibly derived from a homestead name. 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 Hojem (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 last name Hojem?
See how many people have the last name Hojem on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.