2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Craff
A surname of uncertain origin, perhaps deriving from the Germanic word "krapfo" meaning "hardy" or "robust".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Craff. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Craff surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Craff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Craff, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.3%) and Black (15.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Craff
The surname "CRAFF" has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was derived from the Old German word "kräfft," meaning "strength" or "power."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "CRAFF" can be found in the Codex Diplomatus, a collection of medieval documents from the Holy Roman Empire, dating back to the year 1182. This document mentions a certain "Heinrich Craff," who was a landowner in the region of Franconia.
By the 13th century, the name had spread to other parts of Germany, including Saxony and the Rhineland. In the city of Cologne, there are records of a merchant named "Johannes Craff" who lived in the late 1200s and was known for his extensive trade dealings with neighboring regions.
In the 15th century, the name "CRAFF" appeared in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history book published in 1493. The book mentions a "Wilhelm Craff," who was a renowned scholar and theologian from the city of Nuremberg.
One of the most notable figures in history with the surname "CRAFF" was Georg Wolfgang Kraft (1628-1700), a German architect and sculptor who was responsible for designing several prominent buildings in the city of Dresden, including the famous Zwinger Palace.
Another prominent individual was Johann Christoph Craff (1756-1824), a German composer and organist who was widely regarded as one of the leading musicians of his time. He served as the court organist in Braunschweig and was known for his virtuosic organ performances.
In the 19th century, the name "CRAFF" gained recognition through the works of the German painter and printmaker Johann Baptist Craff (1807-1881), whose etchings and lithographs depicted scenes from everyday life in Germany.
Other notable individuals with the surname "CRAFF" include the German mathematician and astronomer Johann Christoph Craff (1706-1782), who made significant contributions to the fields of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits, and the German philosopher and theologian Johann Gottfried Craff (1715-1784), who was a prominent figure in the Enlightenment movement.
While the name "CRAFF" has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, such as "Krafft," "Kraft," and "Craffert," it has maintained its strong connection to its German roots and continues to be a prominent surname in regions throughout Europe and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Craff
Among Census respondents with the surname Craff, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.3%) and Black (15.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Craff bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Craff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.5% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino29.3% · 29
- Black or African American15.2% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Craff
Craff appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,558 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-11 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,610 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 13,558 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 6,610 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Craff surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #149,395 | #156,005 | -4.4% |
| Count | 110 | 99 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Craff bearers went from 110 to 99 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 6,610 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #156,005.
FAQ
Craff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Craff?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Craff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Craff?
Craff ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99 people with the surname Craff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Craff.
Has Craff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Craff went from 110 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 11 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Craff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Craff, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (29.3%) and Black (15.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Craff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.5% (54 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Craff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.5%), Hispanic (29.3%), Black (15.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Craff (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Craff mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, perhaps deriving from the Germanic word "krapfo" meaning "hardy" or "robust". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Craff (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Craff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.