2000
#11,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,424
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Degraff
A Dutch toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a canal or ditch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,146 Americans carry the last name Degraff. That puts it at #15,129 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,718 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Degraff 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
2.1K
1 in 159,718
Census rank
#15,129
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,871 bearers of the surname Degraff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15129th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Degraff, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Degraff
The surname DEGRAFF originated in the Netherlands during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Dutch words "de" meaning "the" and "graaf" meaning "count" or "earl." The name likely referred to someone who worked on the lands of a count or held a position under a count's authority.
The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in Dutch records from the 15th century, with variations in spelling such as DeGraeff, DeGraef, and DeGrave. The name was particularly common in the provinces of North Holland and South Holland, where many counts and nobles held lands.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname DEGRAFF was Jan DeGraeff, a wealthy merchant and politician in Amsterdam, who lived from 1603 to 1673. He served as a regent of the Dutch East India Company and played a significant role in the city's governance.
During the 17th century, some Dutch families with the surname DEGRAFF immigrated to the Dutch colonies in North America, particularly New Netherland, which later became New York. One notable figure was Isaac DeGraff, born in 1676 in Albany, New York, who served as a military captain and landowner.
In the 18th century, the DEGRAFF name appeared in various parts of Europe, including France and Germany. For instance, Johann Friedrich DeGraff, a German-born artist and engraver, lived from 1724 to 1805 and produced numerous etchings and engravings during his lifetime.
Another prominent individual with the surname DEGRAFF was Paulus DeGraff, a Dutch-American politician who served as the 12th Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1809 to 1813. He was born in Schenectady, New York, in 1764 and played a significant role in the state's political affairs during the early 19th century.
While the surname DEGRAFF has its origins in the Netherlands, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other countries with Dutch immigration. The name continues to hold its historical connection to the Dutch nobility and the administrative roles associated with the counts and earls of the Netherlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Degraff
Among Census respondents with the surname Degraff, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Degraff 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 Degraff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.1% · 1,574
- Black or African American7.1% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 80
- Two or more races3.2% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Degraff
Degraff 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
#13,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,273
-151 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 1,570 places
2020
#15,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,871
-402 bearers (-17.7%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 1,722 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,837 | 2,424 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,407 | 2,273 | 0.77 | -151 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 1,570 places |
| 2020 | #15,129 | 1,871 | 0.63 | -402 bearers (-17.7%) | Down 1,722 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 Degraff 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 | #13,407 | #15,129 | -12.8% |
| Count | 2,273 | 1,871 | -17.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.63 | -18.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Degraff bearers went from 2,273 to 1,871 (-17.7% change). The surname moved down 1,722 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,407 to #15,129.
FAQ
Degraff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Degraff?
Name Census estimates that about 2,146 living Americans carry the surname Degraff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,718 residents.
How common is Degraff?
Degraff ranks #15,129 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,871 people with the surname Degraff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,146), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Degraff.
Has Degraff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Degraff went from 2,273 recorded bearers to 1,871. That is a decrease of 402 (-17.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,407 to #15,129.
What does the Census say about the background of Degraff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Degraff, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Degraff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (1,574 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Degraff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.1%), Black (7.1%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Degraff (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 Degraff mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a canal or ditch. 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 Degraff (0.63 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 common is the surname Degraff?
See how many people have the last name Degraff on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.