Hoffman
A surname usually meaning “man of the court” or “man from the farmstead,” from German and Dutch roots.
The #224 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,350 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hoffman is built from Hof, a German and Dutch word for a court, yard, estate, or farm, plus man. In surname use, it often meant someone connected with a manor or farmstead, or more broadly “the man of the court.” Some 19th-century writers also glossed it as a person of rank or a court attendant, but the basic sense is tied to Hof.
History
The name is common in German- and Dutch-speaking areas and was carried widely into North America through immigration. Variant spellings such as Hofman and Hoffmann reflect normal spelling differences across regions and periods. In English-speaking countries, Hoffman became especially familiar as a Jewish and German surname, though its roots are broader than any single community.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Hof element appears in many related surnames and place-names, often pointing to a court, manor, or farmyard.
From the historical record
“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. (Dutch.) From hoogh…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names