Hofer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Israel

Etymology of Hofer

What does the name Hofer mean?

The name Hofer 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 Hofer 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.

Hofer Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Hoffman, Hofman, Hofmann, Goffman, Gofman, Hoffer, Hofer, Hofner, Hoffner, Gofer, Goffer, Ofman and many more.

Hofer Ranking

In the United States, the name Hofer is the 6,316^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Hofer migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hofer Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jane Hofer, who landed in Virginia in 1665 2

Hofer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Simon Hofer, who arrived in New York in 1709 2
Miss Anna Hofer, (1708-1735), who arrived in Georgia in 1734 aboard the ship "Purysburg" 2
Matthias Hofer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1774 2
Mathias Hofer, who sailed to Pennsylvania in 1774
Ferdinand Friedr Hofer, who landed in America in 1778 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hofer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Hofer, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1819 2
Remmont Hofer, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1839 2
Wilhelmine Hofer, who landed in America in 1846 2
Elisabet Margareta Hofer, who arrived in America in 1852 2
John Gotlieb Hofer, aged 32, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1853 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hofer (post 1700) +

Ralph K. Hofer (1921-1944), American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 15 aerial victories
Evelyn Hofer (1922-2009), German-American portrait and documentary photographer
Paul Hofer (b. 1952), former professional American football player
Helmut Hermann W. Hofer (b. 1956), German-born, American mathematician, one of the founders of the area of symplectic topology
Stefan Hofer, Swiss curler bronze medalist and three-time champion
Simon Hofer (b. 1981), Swiss footballer
Paul Hofer (1928-2006), Swiss ice hockey player, he competed in the 1952 and 1956 Winter Olympics
Urs Alfred "Polo" Hofer (1945-2017), Swiss rock musician
Miklós Hofer (1931-2011), Hungarian architect
Norbert Gerwald Hofer (b. 1971), Austrian politician
... (Another 23 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)