Imhof last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Imhof

A German topographic surname indicating someone who lived at an inn or court.

Imhof, 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 Imhof surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Imhof in America

Imhof is the 21251st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Imhof surname appeared 1,234 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Imhof.

We can also compare 2010 data for Imhof 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 21251 21054 0.93%
Count 1,234 1,163 5.92%
Proportion per 100k 0.42 0.43 -2.35%

The history of the last name Imhof

The surname IMHOF is of German origin, and it dates back to the medieval period in Europe. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Swabia. The name IMHOF is derived from the Old German words "heim," meaning home, and "hof," which refers to a courtyard or an enclosed area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the IMHOF surname can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae," a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Cunradus Imhoff" in the year 1197.

The IMHOF name has also been associated with various prominent figures throughout history. One notable individual was Johann Wilhelm von Imhoff (1651-1728), a German jurist and diplomat who served as the Imperial Envoy to Spain and Portugal during the reign of Emperor Leopold I.

Another notable bearer of the IMHOF name was Johann Jakob Imhoff (1705-1768), a German engraver and publisher who is best known for his intricate copperplate engravings depicting various European cities and landscapes.

In the realm of literature, the German author and playwright August Friedrich Ferdinand von Kotzebue (1761-1819) had the maiden name of his mother as IMHOF. She was born Friederike Juliane von Imhoff.

The IMHOF surname has also been linked to certain place names in Germany, such as the village of Imhoff in the municipality of Hilders, located in the state of Hesse.

Other notable individuals with the IMHOF surname include Wilhelm von Imhoff (1705-1765), a German painter and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural works, and Karl Wilhelm Imhoff (1796-1869), a German jurist and politician who served as the President of the Frankfurt National Assembly in 1848.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Imhof

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

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 Imhof was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.14% 1,174
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.41% 5
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.05% 13
Hispanic Origin 3.08% 38

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 Imhof has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.14% 97.08% -2.02%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.41% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.05% 0.86% 19.90%
Hispanic 3.08% 1.55% 66.09%

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

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

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"Imhof last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/imhof-surname-popularity/.

"Imhof last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/imhof-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Imhof last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/imhof-surname-popularity/.

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