As you see, the census says John Hoofer, however his name was John Hoover. Based upon whomever was giving the information to the census taker, it is very possible when they said Hoover, it sounded like Hoofer. But you will find in the census many other mistakes, bigger than just changing an "F" for a "V".
How did this happen? In many cases a census taker was not always allowed to ask someone how to spell their names, so census taker (or the proper term enumerator) wrote the name how it sounded. Also, many people were illiterate and unable to spell their own names.
Another problem encountered in the census is incorrect ages/birth years. If a census taker was at the home of John Smith, and John Smith was not home, they could have asked anyone who was home, including children, or the neighbor for information. Think about it now, would your neighbor know such detailed information about you?
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