2000
#80,216
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 220
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Bomhoff
A Dutch surname derived from the elements "boom" meaning tree and "hof" meaning garden or yard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 224 Americans carry the last name Bomhoff. That puts it at #99,304 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,530,153 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bomhoff 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
224
1 in 1,530,153
Census rank
#99,304
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
195
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 195 bearers of the surname Bomhoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 99304th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bomhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bomhoff
The surname Bomhoff originated in the Netherlands during the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch words "bom" meaning "tree trunk" and "hof" meaning "courtyard" or "garden." Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived in a courtyard or garden area surrounded by tree trunks or stumps.
The earliest recorded mention of the Bomhoff name can be found in a Dutch census record from the year 1275, where a family with the surname resided in the town of Zwolle, in the province of Overijssel. During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Bomhove, Bomhoven, and Bomhoeve, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Hendrik Bomhoff (1532-1598) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Amsterdam. His family's wealth and influence were documented in several municipal records from that time period.
Another notable individual was Jan Bomhoff (1674-1728), a Dutch painter known for his landscape and genre paintings. His works can be found in several museums across the Netherlands, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
During the 17th century, the Bomhoff name appeared in the records of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), indicating that some members of the family were involved in the colonial trade and exploration efforts of that era.
In the late 18th century, a man named Pieter Bomhoff (1756-1822) gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker and inventor in the city of Utrecht. His innovative clock designs were highly sought after by wealthy patrons across the Netherlands.
Another individual of note was Maria Bomhoff (1862-1944), a Dutch activist and suffragette who played a significant role in the women's rights movement in the early 20th century. She worked tirelessly to promote gender equality and political representation for women in the Netherlands.
While the Bomhoff surname is still present in the Netherlands today, it is considered relatively uncommon, with most bearers of the name concentrated in the northern and central regions of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bomhoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Bomhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bomhoff 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 Bomhoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 176
- Two or more races4.1% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 2
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bomhoff
Bomhoff 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
#86,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 214
-6 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 6,765 places
2020
#99,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 195
-19 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 12,323 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #80,216 | 220 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #86,981 | 214 | 0.07 | -6 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 6,765 places |
| 2020 | #99,304 | 195 | 0.07 | -19 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 12,323 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 Bomhoff 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 | #86,981 | #99,304 | -14.2% |
| Count | 214 | 195 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bomhoff bearers went from 214 to 195 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 12,323 positions in the national ranking, going from #86,981 to #99,304.
FAQ
Bomhoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bomhoff?
Name Census estimates that about 224 living Americans carry the surname Bomhoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,530,153 residents.
How common is Bomhoff?
Bomhoff ranks #99,304 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 195 people with the surname Bomhoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (224), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Bomhoff.
Has Bomhoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bomhoff went from 214 recorded bearers to 195. That is a decrease of 19 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #86,981 to #99,304.
What does the Census say about the background of Bomhoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bomhoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Bomhoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (176 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bomhoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Bomhoff (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 Bomhoff mean?
A Dutch surname derived from the elements "boom" meaning tree and "hof" meaning garden or yard. 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 Bomhoff (0.07 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 are called Bomhoff?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Bomhoff on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.