Explore the Family Name Hoff
The meaning of Hoff
1. North German, Dutch, and Danish: topographic name or status name for the owner of a farm, or an occupational name for someone who worked on the main farm in a community, from Middle High and Low German hof ‘farmstead, manor farm’, or a habitational name from any of the many places called with this word. Compare Hof, Hofer, and Hoffmann, and also Huff. 2. Norwegian: habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads named Hov, from Old Norse hof ‘sacrificial temple’. Compare Huff. 3. English: variant of Hough.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Hoff in the United States?
The surname Hoff, according to the Decennial U.S. Census, saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 1893rd most popular surname, but by 2010 it had slipped to 2103rd. The total count of individuals with the Hoff surname also decreased slightly during this period, from 17,408 to 17,223. This resulted in a reduced proportion of Hoffs per 100,000 people in the population, declining by nearly 10 percent over the decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,893 | #2,103 | -11.09% |
| Count | 17,408 | 17,223 | -1.06% |
| Proportion per 100k | 6.45 | 5.84 | -9.46% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hoff
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census indicates some shifts among those with the Hoff surname. The percentage identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by roughly 29 percent, while those reporting two or more races went up by almost 49 percent. Individuals identifying as white still made up the vast majority, although their percentage dropped slightly from 94.54 percent to 93.28 percent. There was also a significant increase in the percentage of Hoffs identifying as Hispanic, jumping about 54 percent. Meanwhile, the portion identifying as Black saw a minor decrease, and the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native remained relatively stable.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.54% | 93.28% | -1.33% |
| Black | 2.1% | 1.99% | -5.24% |
| Two or More Races | 1.21% | 1.8% | 48.76% |
| Hispanic | 1.14% | 1.75% | 53.51% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.56% | 0.72% | 28.57% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.45% | 0.46% | 2.22% |
Hoff ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Hoff is British & Irish, which comprises 36.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (33.5%) and Scandinavian (11.7%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 36.7% |
| French & German | 33.5% |
| Scandinavian | 11.7% |
| Other | 18.2% |
Possible origins of the surname Hoff
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Hoff have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 76.70% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 76.70% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 76.50% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 76.30% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 76.30% |
What Hoff haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Hoff is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-U152 and Q-YP740, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Kline, Schafer, Shaffer, Baker, Hammer, Miller, Weber, Nash, Harrison, Schumacher.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Hoff surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Hoff have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Hoff" Surname 40.9%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Hoff" Surname 25.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Hoff" Surname 21.8%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Hoff" Surname 15.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Hoff?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Hoff are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition