2000
#91,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 188
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Manoff
A Slavic surname derived from the root "man", meaning "deceit" or "illusion".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 189 Americans carry the last name Manoff. That puts it at #113,026 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,813,515 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Manoff 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
189
1 in 1,813,515
Census rank
#113,026
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
165
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 165 bearers of the surname Manoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 113026th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Manoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Manoff
The surname "MANOFF" is of Russian origin, with its earliest known roots tracing back to the 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Russian word "manit," meaning "to beckon" or "to lure," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked as a recruiter or enticer.
During the reign of Peter the Great in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the surname MANOFF appeared in several official records and documents related to military personnel and government officials. One notable example is Ivan Manoff, a renowned military commander who played a crucial role in the Russian Empire's expansion into Siberia.
In the 19th century, the MANOFF surname gained prominence in the literary circles of St. Petersburg. Nikolai Manoff, a celebrated poet and novelist born in 1825, was widely acclaimed for his lyrical works depicting the lives of ordinary Russian citizens. His influential poetry collection, "Echoes of the Steppe," published in 1862, is considered a masterpiece of its time.
Another notable figure bearing the MANOFF surname was Ekaterina Manoff, a prominent physicist and educator who lived from 1856 to 1932. She was one of the first women in Russia to obtain a doctorate in physics and played a pivotal role in advancing scientific education for women in the late 19th century.
The village of Manovskoye, located in the Volgograd region of southern Russia, is believed to have been named after an early settler with the MANOFF surname. This village, established in the 16th century, has a rich history and was once a thriving center for agriculture and trade.
In the realm of the arts, Yuri Manoff, a renowned ballet dancer and choreographer born in 1902, left an indelible mark on the world of dance. His innovative choreography and performances with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow earned him international acclaim during the mid-20th century.
While the MANOFF surname has its roots in Russia, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its rich historical significance and connections to prominent figures in various fields remain deeply rooted in Russian history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Manoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Manoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Manoff 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 Manoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 155
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Manoff
Manoff 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
#100,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 179
-9 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 9,787 places
2020
#113,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 165
-14 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 12,235 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #91,004 | 188 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #100,791 | 179 | 0.06 | -9 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 9,787 places |
| 2020 | #113,026 | 165 | 0.06 | -14 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 12,235 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 Manoff 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 | #100,791 | #113,026 | -12.1% |
| Count | 179 | 165 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Manoff bearers went from 179 to 165 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 12,235 positions in the national ranking, going from #100,791 to #113,026.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Manoff
FAQ
Manoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Manoff?
Name Census estimates that about 189 living Americans carry the surname Manoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,813,515 residents.
How common is Manoff?
Manoff ranks #113,026 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 165 people with the surname Manoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (189), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Manoff.
Has Manoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Manoff went from 179 recorded bearers to 165. That is a decrease of 14 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #100,791 to #113,026.
What does the Census say about the background of Manoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Manoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Manoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (155 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Manoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%). 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 Manoff (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 Manoff mean?
A Slavic surname derived from the root "man", meaning "deceit" or "illusion". 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 Manoff (0.06 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 Manoff?
Want to know how common the surname Manoff is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.