2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ofer
A Hebrew surname derived from the biblical name Ophir, a region renowned for its gold and precious stones.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Ofer. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ofer 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Ofer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ofer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ofer
The surname OFER is believed to have originated in Germany, where it first appeared in historical records dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "ofer" or "ovar," which referred to a river bank or a shore.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name OFER can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the region of Saxony. In this codex, a certain "Heinricus Ofer" is mentioned as a landowner in the year 1187.
During the Middle Ages, the name OFER was particularly prevalent in the areas around the Elbe River, which flows through parts of modern-day Germany and the Czech Republic. It is likely that the name was originally an occupational surname, given to individuals who lived or worked near the banks of rivers or streams.
In the 14th century, there are records of an influential family named OFER in the city of Leipzig. One notable member of this family was Johann OFER, who served as a town councilor in Leipzig during the late 1300s.
Another early bearer of the OFER surname was Hans OFER, a German merchant and trader who lived in the city of Nuremberg during the 15th century. His trading ventures took him across Europe, and his name appears in various business records and correspondence from that era.
In the 16th century, the OFER name gained prominence in the field of academia and scholarship. One notable figure was Matthias OFER, a renowned theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg, who was born in 1522 and died in 1598.
As the OFER family spread across different regions of Germany and beyond, the spelling of the name sometimes varied, with variations such as Ofer, Oferr, and Offerr appearing in historical documents.
While the OFER surname has its roots in Germany, it has since been adopted by families in other parts of Europe and around the world, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have shaped human history over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ofer
Among Census respondents with the surname Ofer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ofer 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 Ofer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 115
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ofer
Ofer appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+13 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 10,223 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 Ofer 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 | #151,532 | #141,309 | 6.7% |
| Count | 108 | 121 | 12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ofer bearers went from 108 to 121 (+12.0% change). The surname moved up 10,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #141,309.
FAQ
Ofer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ofer?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Ofer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Ofer?
Ofer ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Ofer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Ofer.
Has Ofer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ofer went from 108 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 13 (+12.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Ofer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ofer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Ofer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ofer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Black (1.7%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Ofer (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 Ofer mean?
A Hebrew surname derived from the biblical name Ophir, a region renowned for its gold and precious stones. 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 Ofer (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 people share the surname Ofer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.