2000
#14,054
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,967
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Westhoff
Derived from a place name referring to someone who lived west of a courtyard or farmyard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,386 Americans carry the last name Westhoff. That puts it at #13,889 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Westhoff 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
2.4K
1 in 143,652
Census rank
#13,889
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,081 bearers of the surname Westhoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13889th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Westhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Westhoff
The surname Westhoff originated in Germany, most likely during the 12th or 13th century. It is a locational name, derived from the region of Westhofen, a town in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The name can be traced back to the Old German words "west" meaning "west" and "hofen" meaning "homestead" or "settlement".
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Westhoff can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Nassoicus, a collection of historical documents from the County of Nassau, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already well-established in that region by that time.
In the 14th century, a family bearing the name Westhoff is mentioned in the records of the city of Cologne. This indicates that the name had spread from its place of origin and had become associated with prominent families in urban centers.
During the 16th century, a notable figure named Johann Westhoff (1516-1595) was a respected jurist and legal scholar in the city of Heidelberg. His works on Roman law and legal philosophy were widely studied and influential during the Renaissance period.
Another historical figure with the surname Westhoff was Friedrich Westhoff (1768-1842), a German painter and engraver who was born in Düsseldorf. His works, primarily landscapes and portraits, were exhibited in various galleries across Europe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In the 19th century, a notable botanist named Friedrich Westhoff (1838-1895) made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and ecology. He conducted extensive research on the flora of Germany and published several important works on the subject.
The name Westhoff has also been associated with various locations and place names throughout Germany, such as Westhoffener Straße (Westhoff Street) in Berlin and Westhoffener Park (Westhoff Park) in Cologne.
Throughout its history, the surname Westhoff has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, scientists, and individuals of notable social standing. While its origins can be traced back to a specific region in Germany, the name has since spread across the country and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Westhoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Westhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Westhoff 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 Westhoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 1,959
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 53
- Two or more races2.5% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Westhoff
Westhoff 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
#14,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,131
+164 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 51 places
2020
#13,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,081
-50 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,054 | 1,967 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,105 | 2,131 | 0.72 | +164 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 51 places |
| 2020 | #13,889 | 2,081 | 0.70 | -50 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 216 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 Westhoff 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 | #14,105 | #13,889 | 1.5% |
| Count | 2,131 | 2,081 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.70 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Westhoff bearers went from 2,131 to 2,081 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 216 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,105 to #13,889.
FAQ
Westhoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Westhoff?
Name Census estimates that about 2,386 living Americans carry the surname Westhoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,652 residents.
How common is Westhoff?
Westhoff ranks #13,889 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,081 people with the surname Westhoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,386), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Westhoff.
Has Westhoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Westhoff went from 2,131 recorded bearers to 2,081. That is a decrease of 50 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,105 to #13,889.
What does the Census say about the background of Westhoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Westhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) 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 Westhoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (1,959 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Westhoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (2.5%), 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 Westhoff (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 Westhoff mean?
Derived from a place name referring to someone who lived west of a courtyard or farmyard. 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 Westhoff (0.70 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 surname Westhoff?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.