2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Graas
A topographic surname likely denoting someone who lived near an area of grass or grassy terrain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Graas. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Graas 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Graas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Graas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Graas
The surname GRAAS is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "gras," meaning grass or meadow. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a grassy area or worked as a farmer or herdsman in a pastoral setting.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bavaria region of Germany, where a certain Heinricus Graas was mentioned in a local census record from the year 1389. The surname also appears in various historical documents from other parts of southern Germany during the 15th and 16th centuries, often spelled with slight variations such as "Graass" or "Gras."
In the town of Augsburg, a notable figure named Hans Graas (c. 1480-1547) gained recognition as a skilled goldsmith and engraver during the Renaissance era. His intricate metalwork and engravings adorned churches and noble households in the region.
The name GRAAS is also associated with the picturesque village of Graasleben, located in the present-day state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. This settlement dates back to the 9th century and was once known as "Grasleiba," a name that likely influenced the surname's evolution.
During the 17th century, a prominent scholar and theologian named Johann Baptist Graas (1615-1684) made significant contributions to the study of ancient languages and biblical exegesis. He served as a professor at the University of Ingolstadt and authored several esteemed works on linguistics and theology.
As Germans emigrated to different parts of the world, the surname GRAAS spread beyond its original homeland. In the late 18th century, a man named Wilhelm Graas (1744-1819) left Germany for the United States, where he settled in Pennsylvania and established a successful farming community that bore his name, known as Graasville.
Another notable figure was the Austrian-born artist and illustrator, Alois Graas (1766-1849), who gained recognition for his intricate etchings and engravings depicting rural life and landscapes. His works are preserved in various art collections across Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Graas
Among Census respondents with the surname Graas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Graas 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 Graas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 107
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Graas
Graas 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-5 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,288 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,598 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 15,288 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Up 6,598 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 Graas 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 | #156,044 | #149,446 | 4.2% |
| Count | 104 | 110 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Graas bearers went from 104 to 110 (+5.8% change). The surname moved up 6,598 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #149,446.
FAQ
Graas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Graas?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Graas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Graas?
Graas ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Graas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Graas.
Has Graas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Graas went from 104 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 6 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Graas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Graas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Graas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Graas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Graas (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 Graas mean?
A topographic surname likely denoting someone who lived near an area of grass or grassy terrain. 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 Graas (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Graas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.