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Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Hoffman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Israel

The name Hoffman is a proud symbol of ancient Jewish culture. Before the late Middle Ages, people were known only by a single name. However, as the population increased and travelers set out on their journeys, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves. Jewish hereditary surnames were adopted from a variety of different sources. The surname Hoffman is of two possible derivations. In the first case, it is an occupational surname, which derives from the German word hof, which means settlement, or farm. Many Jews in the Russian Empire held such managerial positions on non-Jewish estates. The other meaning of the surname comes from the Yiddish word hofn, which means hope. As such, it was taken as a symbol, and was given to someone who had hope for the future.

Hoffman World Ranking

In the United States, the name Hoffman is the 252^nd most popular surname with an estimated 104,454 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Hoffman is ranked the 740^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,245 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Hoffman is the 852^nd popular surname with an estimated 4,637 people with that name. 3 South Africa ranks Hoffman as 692^nd with 9,775 people. 4

Hoffman migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hoffman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henr Hoffman, who arrived in America in 1709-1711 5
Henrig Hoffman, who arrived in New York in 1709 5
Anna Catharina Hoffman, who landed in America in 1726 5
Henerick Hoffman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "James Goodwill" 5
David Hoffman, aged 8, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hoffman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Cornelius Hoffman, aged 49, who arrived in New York in 1801 5
Franz Hoffman, aged 45, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1804 5
Christopher Hoffman, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1834 5
George Hoffman, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 5
Gustav Hoffman, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hoffman Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Gotfried Hoffman, aged 8, who arrived in America in 1901 5
Daniel Hoffman, aged 16, who landed in America in 1901 5
Emma Hoffman, aged 3, who arrived in New York, NY in 1901 5
Fred Ernest Hoffman, who landed in Wisconsin in 1918 5

Hoffman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hoffman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Barbara Hoffman, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Caspar Hoffman, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Dorothea Hoffman, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
Henrich Hoffman, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757
Mr. David Hoffman U.E. who settled in Ernest Town [Ernestown], Lennox & Addington, Ontario c. 1784 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hoffman migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Hoffman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

H.J. Hoffman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "South Australian" in 1837 7
G. Hoffman, a landman, who arrived in South Australia in 1848 aboard the ship "Victoria" 8
Mr. Patrick Hoffman, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia

Hoffman 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:

Hoffman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Hoffman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
Sophia Hoffman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
Frederick Hoffman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
Henry A. Hoffman, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
Mr. Johann Hoffman, (b. 1841), aged 31, Polish farm labourer travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hoffman (post 1700) +

Paul Gray Hoffman (1891-1974), American automobile company executive, statesman and global development aid administrator, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Basil Harry Hoffman (1938-2021), American actor with a film and television career spanning five decades
Irwin Hoffman (1924-2018), American conductor, Music Director, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (1952–1963), Music Director, Florida Orchestra (1968–1988)
Nicholas von Hoffman (1929-2018), American author, journalist for the Washington Post and commentator for CBS's 60 Minutes
Trevor William Hoffman (b. 1967), American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher, inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018
Alan Jerome Hoffman (b. 1924), American mathematician and IBM Fellow
William Hoffman (1807-1884), American officer in the United States Army
Trevor William Hoffman (b. 1967), American former baseball relief pitcher who played from 1993 to 2010
Major-General Hugh French Thomason Hoffman (1896-1951), American Chief of Staff, 4th Army (1949-1950) 10
Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014), American Golden Globe and Academy Award winning actor, best known for his starring role in Capote (2005)
... (Another 191 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/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
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SOUTH AUSTRALIAN 1837-1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837SouthAustralian.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) VICTORIA 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Victoria.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 30) Hugh Hoffman. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Hoffman/Hugh_French_Thomason/USA.html