Herkenhoff is a surname. Its geographic origin may be the region on the current border area between Germany and the Netherlands. That's why there are various ways to tell the meaning of the name. It could be explained through Dutch, German or dialectic words. The second part of the name surely means "yard". The first part could mean Herke [a goddess], Herken [German dialect, meaning "little lord"] or even "herkennen" [Dutch: "to get to know"].
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Geographic spreading of this family name
Many Herkenhoff families have their roots in the municipality of Hagen a.T.W. near Osnabrück, in the federal state of Lower Saxony, Germany. In the 19th century many families emigrated to Brazil, and the United States where there can be found quite a lot of Herkenhoff families as well and where forms of Low German are also spoken.