Explore the Family Name Hochstetler
The meaning of Hochstetler
Americanized form of German Hochstättler or Hochstettler, surnames of Swiss German origin (see Hostettler), or of their rare Swiss German cognate Hochstaettler: topographic name for someone living high on a mountainside, from Middle High German hōh ‘high’ + stat, stete ‘place’ + the diminutive suffix -l + the agent suffix -er. The surname Hochstaettler originates from the Swiss canton of Vaud, while its much more common cognate Hostettler is found predominantly in the canton of Bern. The altered forms Hochstättler and Hochstettler are very rare in Germany. Compare Hochstedler and Hostetler. History: This is one of the American variants of the name of a Swiss Mennonite (Amish) family, originally spelled Hostettler. The Mennonite name Hostettler was first altered in Germany to Hochstättler or Hochstettler and then, with the arrival of the Amish immigrant Jacob Hochstetler in PA in the first half of the 18th century, to Hochstetler. Among the Mennonites in the US the variant Hochstettler is also found.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Hochstetler in the United States?
The surname Hochstetler has grown in popularity over the years, as indicated by data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, Hochstetler ranked 6585th in terms of frequency among surnames, with a count of 4745, or approximately 1.76 individuals per 100,000 inhabitants bearing this name. By 2010, the rank had risen to 5460th, marking an increase of 17.08%. The number of individuals carrying the Hochstetler name also increased to 6372, which was a significant growth of 34.29%. This change resulted in approximately 2.16 people per 100,000 inhabitants having the Hochstetler surname, a 22.73% rise from the previous decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,585 | #5,460 | 17.08% |
| Count | 4,745 | 6,372 | 34.29% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.76 | 2.16 | 22.73% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hochstetler
When it comes to the ethnic identity associated with the name Hochstetler, the figures from the Decennial U.S. Census show that it is overwhelmingly linked to white ethnicity. In 2000, 98.59% of those with the surname identified as white, and this percentage slightly decreased to 98.23% in 2010. The proportion of Hochstetlers identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic saw increases of 66.67% and 45.10%, respectively, although these groups still constitute a small fraction of the total. The data for Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native were suppressed in the 2010 census for privacy reasons, but in 2000, these groups constituted 0.17% and 0.21% of Hochstetlers, respectively. Finally, the percentage of individuals with the Hochstetler name who identify with two or more races grew by 60.53% over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 98.59% | 98.23% | -0.37% |
| Hispanic | 0.51% | 0.74% | 45.1% |
| Two or More Races | 0.38% | 0.61% | 60.53% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.15% | 0.25% | 66.67% |
| Black | 0.17% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.21% | 0% | 0% |