Contents [hide]

Hoff History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Hoff History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland
Scotland

The ancient history of the Hoff name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided near a hill or steep ridge of land. The surname Hoff is usually derived from the Old English word hoh, which means heel or projecting ridge of land. However, it is sometimes derived from the Old Norse word haugr, which means mound or hill. Furthermore, the name Hoff may be derived from residence in one of a variety of similarly named places: Hoe is in Norfolk, Hoo is in Kent, places called Hooe are in Devon and Sussex, Hose is in Leicestershire, places named Heugh are in Durham and Northumberland, and settlements called Hough are found in both Cheshire and Derby.

Early Origins of the Hoff family

The surname Hoff was first found in Cheshire at Hough, a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East which dates back to the 13th century when it was first listed as Hohc. 1 2 3

Dusting off some centuries-old records we found, Wilielmus de Huff, registered in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 4

The name is "especially common in Bedfordshire and Northants, fairly so in Suffolk, Essex, Herts and Bucks, and very common in Northumberland and Durham. The nominative singular gives Hough, in Scotland and Northern England Heugh." 5

Early History of the Hoff family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hoff research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1564, 1618, 1651, 1660, 1681, 1687, 1699, 1717 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Hoff History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoff Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Hoff include Hough, Huff, Houfe, Hoff, Hoffe and others.

Early Notables of the Hoff family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Hough (1651-1743), Bishop of Oxford (1699), and later Bishop of Worcester (1717), best known for the confrontation over his election as President at Magdalen College, Oxford (1681-1687.) He was "the son of John Hough...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hoff Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoff World Ranking

In the United States, the name Hoff is the 2,085^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Hoff is ranked the 3,501^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 7 And in Netherlands, the name Hoff is the 833^rd popular surname with an estimated 2,364 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Hoff family to Ireland

Some of the Hoff family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoff migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Hoff or a variant listed above:

Hoff Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Andreas Hoff, who landed in New York in 1709 9
Johan Melgior Hoff, who arrived in New York in 1709 9
Johann Adam Hoff, who landed in New York in 1709 9
Lorentz Hoff, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1730 9
Lorentz Hoff, who sailed to America in 1730
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hoff Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Hoff, who landed in New York in 1818 9
Gerh Anton Hoff, who arrived in America in 1837 9
Hermann Anton Hoff, aged 40, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 9
Christian Hoff, who arrived in Texas in 1844 9
Joseph Hoff, who landed in Texas in 1850-1906 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hoff migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hoff Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Lawrence Hoff U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on December 13,1783 was passenger number 403 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on November 14, 1783 at East River, New York 10
Mrs. Ann Hoff U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on December 13,1783 was passenger number 497 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on November 14, 1783 at East River, New York 10
Miss. Ann Hoff U.E. (b. 1770), aged 13 who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on December 13,1783 was passenger number 594 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on November 14, 1783 at East River, New York 10
Mr. Henry Hoff U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 10
Mr. John Hoff U.E. who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 10

Hoff migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Hoff Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Hans L Hoff, (b. 1828), aged 44, Scandinavian labourer travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 11
Mrs. Marie Hoff, (b. 1833), aged 39, Scandinavian settler travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 11
Miss Gina Hoff, (b. 1856), aged 16, Scandinavian maid servant travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 11
Miss Lina Hoff, (b. 1857), aged 15, Scandinavian maid servant travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 11
Mr. Peter Hoff, (b. 1862), aged 10, Scandinavian settler travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hoff (post 1700) +

Philip Henderson Hoff (1924-2018), American politician, 73rd Governor of Vermont (1963-1969), Member of the Vermont House of Representatives (1961-1963)
Lawrence Conrad Hoff, American pharmaceutical company executive
Marcian Edward "Ted" Hoff (b. 1937), Intel executive and co-inventor of the microprocessor awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2009
Chester Cornelius Hoff (1891-1998), American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball
Kathryn "Katie" Elise Hoff (b. 1989), American Olympic swimmer
Christian Hoff (b. 1968), American actor
Bobby "The Wizard" Hoff, American professional poker player
Chester Hoff, American Republican politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Missouri, 1956 12
Charles F. Hoff, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1912 12
Carrie V. Hoff, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for University of Illinois trustee, 1918 12
... (Another 25 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html