Meaning and background
The story behind Hoffman
Hoffman is often an Americanised or simplified spelling of the German surname Hoffmann or Hofmann, while Dutch and Ashkenazi family-name branches also exist. Its German elements link a farm, manor or courtyard to the word for man; historically it could describe a landholder or steward. This is an inherited surname explanation, not a literal personal description of its modern bearer. It is distinct from similarly sounding English names with wholly different histories.
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About Hoffman
Recorded as a dog’s name
Hoffman appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/hɔfmən/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/hɔfmən/ · primary stress on syllable 1HH AO1 F M AH0 N
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.