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

Hostetter, 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 Hostetter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hostetter in America

Hostetter is the 6799th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hostetter surname appeared 4,960 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Hostetter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hostetter 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 Hostetter

The surname Hostetter is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "hostete," meaning "an inn or hostel keeper." It is believed to have originated in the 14th or 15th century in the German-speaking regions of central Europe.

One of the earliest records of the name can be found in the town of Kirchheimbolanden, in the modern-day German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where a family by the name of Hostetter is mentioned in a document from the year 1495. The name was also prevalent in other areas of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony.

In the 16th century, the Hostetter family gained prominence in the city of Nuremberg, where several members were successful merchants and traders. One notable figure was Hans Hostetter, a prominent merchant and banker who lived from 1515 to 1589.

As the Hostetter family spread across Europe, the name underwent various spellings, including Hostater, Hostater, and Hostädter. Some branches of the family eventually migrated to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas.

In the 18th century, the name Hostetter appeared in the records of the German immigrant community in Pennsylvania, United States. One of the earliest known bearers of the name in America was Johann Hostetter, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1744.

Another notable figure was David Hostetter, a prominent physician and businessman who lived from 1819 to 1888. He founded the Dr. Hostetter's Stomach Bitters company, which became one of the most successful proprietary medicine businesses in the United States during the 19th century.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hostetter include:

1. John Hostetter (1860-1924), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio.
2. Jacob Hostetter (1790-1867), an American Mennonite bishop and writer from Pennsylvania.
3. Ernst Hostetter (1894-1968), a Swiss architect and city planner.
4. Cedric Hostetter (1864-1941), an American lawyer and politician from Illinois.
5. Charles Hostetter (1900-1985), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1920s.

Over the centuries, the Hostetter surname has maintained its roots in the German-speaking regions of Europe, while also spreading to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hostetter

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

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

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

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