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

Imhoff, 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 Imhoff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Imhoff in America

Imhoff is the 8780th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Imhoff surname appeared 3,734 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Imhoff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Imhoff 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.

The history of the last name Imhoff

The surname Imhoff originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "imbi," meaning "bee," and "hof," meaning "courtyard" or "farm." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who kept bees or lived near a place where bees were kept.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name Imhoff can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, which mentions an individual named Conradus Imbehof in 1195. Another early reference is in the Regensburg City Archives, where a Henricus Imhoff is recorded in 1306.

The name Imhoff has been associated with various notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Konrad Imhoff (c. 1395-1455), a prominent Nuremberg merchant and member of the city council. He played a significant role in the development of the Nuremberg trade industry.

Another notable figure was Christoph Imhoff (1510-1580), a German cartographer and engraver. He is best known for his work on the Imhoff Bible, a collection of woodcut illustrations depicting scenes from the Bible, published in 1572.

In the 17th century, Johannes Imhoff (1628-1700) was a German jurist and historian who served as the chancellor of the University of Jena. He is remembered for his contributions to the study of German law and history.

The name Imhoff also has connections to various place names in Germany. For example, the village of Imhoff in the Rhineland-Palatinate region is believed to have derived its name from the surname. Similarly, the town of Imhoffenhausen in Bavaria may have been named after an early settler with the Imhoff surname.

Another notable individual with the Imhoff surname was Christoph Friedrich von Imhoff (1753-1828), a German diplomat and statesman. He served as the Imperial Russian ambassador to the Ottoman Empire and played a crucial role in negotiations during the Napoleonic Wars.

While the surname Imhoff has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through emigration. However, its origins and early history are firmly rooted in the German regions, where it has been documented for centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Imhoff

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

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 Imhoff was:

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!