2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hoyem
A Norwegian locational surname likely derived from a farm or place called "Høyem".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Hoyem. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoyem 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Hoyem in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoyem, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoyem
The surname Hoyem is of Norwegian origin, and it is believed to have originated in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Old Norse words "haugr" meaning "hill" or "mound" and "heimr" meaning "homestead" or "settlement." It is likely that the name was originally given to someone who lived near a prominent hill or mound.
In the early records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Haugheim, Haugeheim, and Hoygem, reflecting the regional dialects and the evolution of language over time. One of the earliest documented instances of the name Hoyem can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and documents, dating back to the 14th century.
The name Hoyem has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Tord Hoyem, a Norwegian farmer and landowner who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Ingrid Hoyem, a prominent Norwegian poet and author who lived from 1737 to 1817.
In the 19th century, the name Hoyem gained some prominence with the birth of Hans Kristian Hoyem (1825-1903), a Norwegian politician and lawyer who served as the Prime Minister of Norway from 1893 to 1895. Arne Hoyem (1897-1981), a Norwegian architect and designer, was also a notable bearer of the name, known for his contributions to the modernist architectural movement in Norway.
More recently, the name Hoyem has been associated with Knut Hoyem (1920-2008), a Norwegian journalist and author who covered important events such as World War II and the Norwegian resistance movement. He was widely respected for his objective and insightful reporting on historical events.
While the name Hoyem is predominantly Norwegian, it has also been adopted by families in other Scandinavian countries and has spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, the name remains deeply rooted in its Norwegian heritage, reflecting the rich cultural and linguistic history of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoyem
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoyem, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoyem 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 Hoyem surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoyem
Hoyem 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+23 bearers (+20.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 10,765 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-17 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,770 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +23 bearers (+20.4%) | Up 10,765 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 16,770 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 Hoyem 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 | #126,018 | #142,788 | -13.3% |
| Count | 136 | 119 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoyem bearers went from 136 to 119 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 16,770 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #142,788.
FAQ
Hoyem surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoyem?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Hoyem. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Hoyem?
Hoyem ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Hoyem. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Hoyem.
Has Hoyem become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoyem went from 136 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoyem?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoyem, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Hoyem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoyem appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Hoyem (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 Hoyem mean?
A Norwegian locational surname likely derived from a farm or place called "Høyem". 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 Hoyem (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Hoyem?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.