Hoff
A Germanic surname usually meaning someone who lived by or worked at a court, farm, or enclosed estate.
The #2,103 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 17,926 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Hoff comes from Germanic words meaning "court," "farmstead," "estate," or "enclosed yard." In Dutch and Danish, and in related German usage, hof/hof or hoff could refer to a court or a rural holding. As a surname, it most likely began as a topographic or status-based name for someone who lived at or was connected with such a place.
History
Historical surname dictionaries treat Hoff as a short Germanic name and relate it to the same root that appears in Hof, Hofer, Hoffman, and similar forms. It is found especially in German-speaking and Dutch-speaking areas, and it also appears in North European records where these naming patterns spread. In English contexts it is usually an immigrant surname or a reduced form of longer Germanic names.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root behind Hoff also turns up in many compound surnames, especially those ending in -hof or -hoff, where it often points to a farm or estate name.
From the historical record
“noisy, proud, haughty. HOFF. (Danish and Dutch.) A court, residence, palace. HOFFMAN". (Dutch.) From Eoofdman, a captain, a director, head or chief man. Hofman, from Hof, a court — the man of the court. HOGAN". In the Cornish, mortal, in the Gaelic, a young man, from " Og" young. Hogyn, Welsh, a stripling. HOGARTH.…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names