2000
#73,659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 245
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Hovet
A topographic name referring to a person living near a rounded hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 287 Americans carry the last name Hovet. That puts it at #81,574 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,194,266 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hovet 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
287
1 in 1,194,266
Census rank
#81,574
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
250
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 250 bearers of the surname Hovet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 81574th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hovet, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hovet
The surname Hovet is believed to have originated in Norway during the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the Old Norse word "hoft," which means "hip" or "haunch." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person's physical characteristics or occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hovet can be found in the Norwegian Diplomer, a collection of medieval documents and charters. In a document dated 1338, a man named Thorvald Hovet is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the region of Trøndelag.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Hovet name was primarily concentrated in the western regions of Norway, particularly in the counties of Rogaland and Hordaland. This suggests that the name may have originated in these areas before spreading to other parts of the country.
In the 16th century, a family bearing the Hovet surname was recorded as living in the village of Stordalen, located in the municipality of Ålesund. One notable member of this family was Knut Hovet, born in 1547, who served as a local magistrate and landowner.
The Hovet name also appeared in several historical documents related to the Norwegian merchant navy. In the 17th century, a ship's captain named Hans Hovet was mentioned in records detailing trade routes between Norway and the Netherlands.
Another notable figure with the Hovet surname was Inge Hovet, born in 1712 in the town of Stavanger. Inge was a respected lawyer and legal scholar, known for his contributions to the development of Norwegian civil law.
In the 19th century, the Hovet name gained prominence in the field of literature. Olav Hovet, born in 1825 in Bergen, was a celebrated poet and playwright, whose works explored themes of Norwegian identity and cultural heritage.
Throughout its history, the Hovet surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Hovet, Hovett, Houet, and Houett. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, rooted in the Old Norse language and the physical or occupational associations of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hovet
Among Census respondents with the surname Hovet, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hovet 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 Hovet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 209
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 16
- Two or more races5.2% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hovet
Hovet 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
#75,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 254
+9 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 2,140 places
2020
#81,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 250
-4 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 5,775 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #73,659 | 245 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #75,799 | 254 | 0.09 | +9 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 2,140 places |
| 2020 | #81,574 | 250 | 0.08 | -4 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 5,775 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 Hovet 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 | #75,799 | #81,574 | -7.6% |
| Count | 254 | 250 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hovet bearers went from 254 to 250 (-1.6% change). The surname moved down 5,775 positions in the national ranking, going from #75,799 to #81,574.
FAQ
Hovet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hovet?
Name Census estimates that about 287 living Americans carry the surname Hovet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,194,266 residents.
How common is Hovet?
Hovet ranks #81,574 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 250 people with the surname Hovet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (287), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Hovet.
Has Hovet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hovet went from 254 recorded bearers to 250. That is a decrease of 4 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #75,799 to #81,574.
What does the Census say about the background of Hovet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hovet, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Hovet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hovet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Hispanic (6.4%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Hovet (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 Hovet mean?
A topographic name referring to a person living near a rounded hill. 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 Hovet (0.08 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 surname Hovet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.