2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hovest
A locational surname likely derived from a place of residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 227 Americans carry the last name Hovest. That puts it at #98,131 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,509,931 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hovest 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
227
1 in 1,509,931
Census rank
#98,131
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
198
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 198 bearers of the surname Hovest in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 98131st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hovest, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hovest
The surname "HOVEST" is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany around the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German words "hof" meaning "estate" or "courtyard" and "est" which means "place" or "location." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived or worked on a particular estate or courtyard.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a medieval document from the 13th century that mentions a "Hovestus de Magdeburg." This suggests that the name was present in the Magdeburg region of Saxony during that time period.
In the 14th century, there are records of a "Johannes Hovest" from the town of Lübeck in northern Germany. This town was a prominent member of the Hanseatic League, a powerful economic alliance of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe.
During the 16th century, the name appears in various church records and tax rolls from the German states of Mecklenburg and Pomerania. One notable individual from this time period was Hans Hovest (c. 1510-1580), a wealthy merchant and landowner from the town of Rostock.
In the 17th century, the name spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Scandinavia. One example is Pieter Hovest (1619-1692), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural works.
As the name traveled across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations such as Hoevest, Höfest, and Hofst. In the 18th century, a Swedish nobleman named Carl Gustaf Hovest (1732-1810) served as a military officer and diplomat for the Swedish crown.
Throughout its history, the surname "HOVEST" has been associated with various occupations, including landowners, merchants, artists, and military personnel. While not as widespread as some other surnames, it has left its mark in various regions of Europe, particularly in northern Germany and the surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hovest
Among Census respondents with the surname Hovest, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Hovest 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 Hovest surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 198
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hovest
Hovest 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
#102,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175
+33 bearers (+23.2%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 11,478 places
2020
#98,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 198
+23 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 4,557 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #102,688 | 175 | 0.06 | +33 bearers (+23.2%) | Up 11,478 places |
| 2020 | #98,131 | 198 | 0.07 | +23 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 4,557 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 Hovest 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 | #102,688 | #98,131 | 4.4% |
| Count | 175 | 198 | 13.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.07 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hovest bearers went from 175 to 198 (+13.1% change). The surname moved up 4,557 positions in the national ranking, going from #102,688 to #98,131.
FAQ
Hovest surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hovest?
Name Census estimates that about 227 living Americans carry the surname Hovest. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,509,931 residents.
How common is Hovest?
Hovest ranks #98,131 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 198 people with the surname Hovest. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (227), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Hovest.
Has Hovest become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hovest went from 175 recorded bearers to 198. That is an increase of 23 (+13.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #102,688 to #98,131.
What does the Census say about the background of Hovest?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hovest, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Hovest in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (198 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hovest appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Hovest (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 Hovest mean?
A locational surname likely derived from a place of residence. 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 Hovest (0.07 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 are called Hovest?
See how many people are called Hovest on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.