2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Graack
Of North German origin, a topographic surname referring to someone living near a small brook or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 109 Americans carry the last name Graack. That puts it at #156,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,144,535 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Graack 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
109
1 in 3,144,535
Census rank
#156,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
95
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 95 bearers of the surname Graack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Graack, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Graack
The surname GRAACK has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Gras," meaning grass, and may have initially referred to someone who lived near a grassy area or worked with grass in some capacity.
The earliest known record of the GRAACK surname dates back to 1568, when a Johannes Graack was mentioned in a church register in the town of Lübeck, located in northern Germany. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by that time.
In the 17th century, the GRAACK surname appeared in various historical documents across northern Germany, particularly in the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. One notable example is the mention of a Hinrich Graack in a land registry from the village of Preetz in 1674.
The name GRAACK has also been associated with several place names in northern Germany, such as the village of Gräck near Flensburg, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Among the notable individuals who bore the GRAACK surname in history are Christian Graack (1640-1708), a German theologian and author who served as the rector of the Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums in Hamburg. Another prominent figure was Johann Graack (1712-1783), a German architect and master builder who was involved in the construction of several churches and public buildings in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
In the 19th century, the GRAACK surname gained some prominence in the field of education. Friedrich Graack (1825-1892) was a German educator and school administrator who served as the principal of the Realschule in Lübeck. His son, Gustav Graack (1860-1941), followed in his footsteps and became a respected teacher and author of educational materials.
Another notable individual with the GRAACK surname was Wilhelm Graack (1875-1945), a German naval officer who served during World War I and later became a distinguished maritime historian and author.
While the GRAACK surname originated in northern Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the country and even to other countries through migration and immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the grassy regions of northern Germany, where it first emerged as a descriptive surname in the 16th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Graack
Among Census respondents with the surname Graack, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Graack 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 Graack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 95
Timeline
Historical Census data for Graack
Graack 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,119 places
2020
#156,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 95
-10 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,685 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 13,119 places |
| 2020 | #156,592 | 95 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 1,685 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 Graack 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 | #154,907 | #156,592 | -1.1% |
| Count | 105 | 95 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -20.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Graack bearers went from 105 to 95 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 1,685 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #156,592.
FAQ
Graack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Graack?
Name Census estimates that about 109 living Americans carry the surname Graack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,144,535 residents.
How common is Graack?
Graack ranks #156,592 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 95 people with the surname Graack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (109), 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 Graack.
Has Graack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Graack went from 105 recorded bearers to 95. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #156,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Graack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Graack, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Graack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Graack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Graack (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 Graack mean?
Of North German origin, a topographic surname referring to someone living near a small brook or stream. 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 Graack (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 are called Graack?
You can see how many people are called Graack on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.