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

Hoover, 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 Hoover surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hoover in America

Hoover is the 580th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hoover surname appeared 57,497 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 19 people would have the surname Hoover.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hoover 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 Hoover

The surname Hoover originated in Germany and is derived from the German word "Huber," which means "farmer" or "landowner." It is believed that the name first appeared in the late 12th century or early 13th century in the region now known as Bavaria.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a document from the year 1285, where a man named Heinrich Huber is mentioned as a resident of the town of Augsburg. In the 15th century, the name was also found in various records from the city of Nuremberg.

As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, including Huber, Hueber, Hüber, and eventually Hoover. It is likely that the spelling "Hoover" emerged as a result of anglicization when German immigrants brought the name to English-speaking countries.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Hoover was Hans Hoover, who was born in 1495 in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in modern-day Bavaria, Germany. He was a successful merchant and landowner.

Another notable figure with the surname Hoover was Johann Hoover, who was born in 1632 in the town of Strasbourg, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire (now in modern-day France). He was a respected theologian and author of several religious texts.

In the United States, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Hoover was Herbert Hoover, who was born in 1874 in West Branch, Iowa, and served as the 31st President of the United States from 1929 to 1933. He was a prominent figure during the Great Depression and is remembered for his efforts to address the economic crisis.

Another notable American with the surname Hoover was J. Edgar Hoover, who was born in 1895 in Washington, D.C. He served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 1935 until his death in 1972, making him one of the longest-serving government officials in U.S. history.

In the field of science, Katharine Blodgett Hoover (1898-1979) was a pioneering American scientist and the first woman to be employed as a researcher at the General Electric Company. She made significant contributions to the study of thin films and is credited with developing a method for creating non-reflective glass, which found applications in various industries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hoover

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

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

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

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