2000
#10,876
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,687
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Hover
An occupational surname for someone who made or used hoops, such as for barrels or wagon wheels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,705 Americans carry the last name Hover. That puts it at #12,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,711 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hover 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hover with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,711
Census rank
#12,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,359 bearers of the surname Hover in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hover, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hover
The surname Hover is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "hover," which means "small landowner" or "farmer." The name first emerged in the 12th century in the region of Bavaria, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire.
In medieval Germany, the Hover name was associated with landowners who held small estates or farms. The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in a document from 1247, which mentions a Johannes Hover from the town of Augsburg.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Hover family spread across various parts of southern Germany, including the regions of Swabia and Franconia. They were often identified by their place of origin, leading to variations such as Hoferhof and Hoverhausen.
The Hover name gained prominence in the 15th century when Hans Hover (1435-1498), a renowned architect and stonemason, designed several churches and public buildings in Nuremberg and other cities in Franconia. His works are considered significant examples of late Gothic architecture in Germany.
Another notable figure was Johann Hover (1564-1628), a German theologian and reformer who played a crucial role in the Protestant Reformation. He served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg and was involved in the drafting of the Heidelberg Catechism, a seminal document of the Reformed tradition.
In the 17th century, the Hover family spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England is found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, which mention the marriage of William Hover in 1632.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several Hover families emigrated to North America, contributing to the spread of the name across the United States and Canada. Notable individuals include William Hover (1779-1859), a farmer and politician who served in the Vermont House of Representatives, and John Hover (1825-1896), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hover
Among Census respondents with the surname Hover, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hover 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 Hover surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 2,071
- Black or African American4.4% · 104
- Two or more races3.7% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hover
Hover 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
#12,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,548
-139 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 1,342 places
2020
#12,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,359
-189 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 322 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,876 | 2,687 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,218 | 2,548 | 0.86 | -139 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 1,342 places |
| 2020 | #12,540 | 2,359 | 0.79 | -189 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 322 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 Hover 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 | #12,218 | #12,540 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,548 | 2,359 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.79 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hover bearers went from 2,548 to 2,359 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 322 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,218 to #12,540.
FAQ
Hover surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hover?
Name Census estimates that about 2,705 living Americans carry the surname Hover. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,711 residents.
How common is Hover?
Hover ranks #12,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,359 people with the surname Hover. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,705), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Hover.
Has Hover become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hover went from 2,548 recorded bearers to 2,359. That is a decrease of 189 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,218 to #12,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Hover?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hover, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Hover in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (2,071 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hover appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Hover (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 Hover mean?
An occupational surname for someone who made or used hoops, such as for barrels or wagon wheels. 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 Hover (0.79 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 Hover?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.