2000
#8,242
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,698
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Imhoff
A German toponymic surname indicating someone from one of several places called Imhof, meaning "at the courtyard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,200 Americans carry the last name Imhoff. That puts it at #8,609 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,608 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Imhoff 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
4.2K
1 in 81,608
Census rank
#8,609
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,663 bearers of the surname Imhoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8609th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Imhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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the earliest documented instances of the name Imhoff can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, which mentions an individual named Conradus Imbehof in 1195.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Imhoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Imhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Imhoff 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 Imhoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 3,385
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 126
- Two or more races2.5% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 36
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Imhoff
Imhoff 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
#8,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,734
+36 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 538 places
2020
#8,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,663
-71 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Up 171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,242 | 3,698 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,780 | 3,734 | 1.27 | +36 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 538 places |
| 2020 | #8,609 | 3,663 | 1.23 | -71 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 171 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 Imhoff 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 | #8,780 | #8,609 | 1.9% |
| Count | 3,734 | 3,663 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.23 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Imhoff bearers went from 3,734 to 3,663 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 171 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,780 to #8,609.
FAQ
Imhoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Imhoff?
Name Census estimates that about 4,200 living Americans carry the surname Imhoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,608 residents.
How common is Imhoff?
Imhoff ranks #8,609 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,663 people with the surname Imhoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,200), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Imhoff.
Has Imhoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Imhoff went from 3,734 recorded bearers to 3,663. That is a decrease of 71 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,780 to #8,609.
What does the Census say about the background of Imhoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Imhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (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 Imhoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (3,385 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Imhoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (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 Imhoff (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 Imhoff mean?
A German toponymic surname indicating someone from one of several places called Imhof, meaning "at the courtyard." 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 Imhoff (1.23 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 last name Imhoff?
If you just want to know how many people are called Imhoff, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.