2000
#2,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,970
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.92
Uncommon Last name
Hoffmann
A surname of German origin referring to someone who lived on a small farm or courtyard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,181 Americans carry the last name Hoffmann. That puts it at #2,009 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,984 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoffmann 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hoffmann with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,984
Census rank
#2,009
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,599 bearers of the surname Hoffmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2009th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoffmann
The surname Hoffmann is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "hof," meaning a courtyard or small farm. It is an occupational name, initially given to an overseer or steward of a manor or farm.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany. One notable mention is in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which includes references to individuals with the surname Hoffmann as early as 1240.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts across German-speaking regions, including the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history published in 1493, which mentions several individuals with the surname Hoffmann.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johann Hoffmann, a German painter and engraver who lived from around 1500 to 1566. His works can be found in several galleries and museums across Europe.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Hoffmann, a German physician and chemist born in 1660 in Halle, Saxony. He is widely regarded as a pioneer in the field of modern medicine and made significant contributions to the understanding of human physiology and disease.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence with the composer Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, better known as E.T.A. Hoffmann, born in 1776 in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). He is renowned for his literary works, including the famous novella "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," which inspired Tchaikovsky's famous ballet.
The 19th century saw the rise of another famous Hoffmann, August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, born in 1798 in Fallersleben, Lower Saxony. He was a renowned German poet, philologist, and academic, best known for writing the lyrics to the German national anthem, "Das Lied der Deutschen."
In the 20th century, the name was associated with the German-American architect and industrial designer Hans Joachim Hoffmann, born in 1913 in Munich, Germany. He was a influential figure in the Bauhaus movement and played a significant role in shaping modern design principles.
While the surname Hoffmann is most commonly found in Germany and other German-speaking regions, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration, carrying with it a rich history and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoffmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoffmann 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 Hoffmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 16,206
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 658
- Two or more races2.8% · 494
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 156
- Black or African American0.4% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoffmann
Hoffmann 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
#2,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,966
+996 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 5.75
Rank movement Down 54 places
2020
#2,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,599
+633 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 5.89
Rank movement Up 127 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,082 | 15,970 | 5.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,136 | 16,966 | 5.75 | +996 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 54 places |
| 2020 | #2,009 | 17,599 | 5.89 | +633 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 127 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 Hoffmann 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 | #2,136 | #2,009 | 5.9% |
| Count | 16,966 | 17,599 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.75 | 5.89 | 2.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoffmann bearers went from 16,966 to 17,599 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 127 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,136 to #2,009.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hoffmann
FAQ
Hoffmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoffmann?
Name Census estimates that about 20,181 living Americans carry the surname Hoffmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,984 residents.
How common is Hoffmann?
Hoffmann ranks #2,009 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,599 people with the surname Hoffmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,181), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Hoffmann.
Has Hoffmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoffmann went from 16,966 recorded bearers to 17,599. That is an increase of 633 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,136 to #2,009.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoffmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoffmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Hoffmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (16,206 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoffmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Hoffmann (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 Hoffmann mean?
A surname of German origin referring to someone who lived on a small farm or 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 Hoffmann (5.89 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 Hoffmann?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Hoffmann is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.