Hoch
A German surname meaning “high” or “tall,” often linked to someone living on elevated ground or having a lofty stature.
The #5,686 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 50,656 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Hoch comes from German hoch, meaning “high,” “tall,” or “elevated.” In older Germanic forms the same root appears in words for height or upland places, so the name could begin as a nickname for a tall person or as a topographic byname for someone living on high ground. Some 19th-century writers also connected it with similar Teutonic words for a hill or raised place, which fits the same basic sense.
History
Hoch is well established as a German surname and also appears in related continental forms and spellings such as Hock, Hoog, and Hocher in older surname studies. In English-language genealogical sources, it is usually treated as a borrowing or imported German name rather than a native English surname. The name remains especially associated with German-speaking regions and descendants of German emigrants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root behind Hoch also shows up in many Germanic words for “high,” which is why surname scholars often grouped it with place-based names for uplands and hills.
From the historical record
“Cbildwall, CO, Lane Richard Hallwood. of Hoch Woollon, i6o< : Willi at Chester (iU5->6iol, p. 79. William Hallwood. <^^tacre,VhMn Little Woollpn, 1613: Ibid. lIlSal-50),”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances