2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Graba
A surname possibly derived from a Polish place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Graba. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Graba 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Graba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Graba, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Graba
The surname GRABA is of Polish origin and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the region of Kuyavia, located in north-central Poland. The name is thought to be derived from the Polish word "graba," which means "hornbeam," a type of tree native to the area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GRABA can be found in a land registry document from the town of Bydgoszcz, dated 1487. This document mentions a landowner named Jan GRABA, suggesting that the name was already established in the region by that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the GRABA surname began to spread across other parts of Poland, including the regions of Greater Poland and Silesia. This was likely due to migration and the expansion of trade routes, which allowed families to establish themselves in new areas.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the GRABA surname was Franciszek GRABA, a Polish nobleman and military officer who served in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's army. He was born in 1720 and played a significant role in the Kościuszko Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1794.
Another notable individual with the GRABA surname was Józef GRABA, a Polish writer and journalist who lived in the 19th century. He was born in 1824 and was known for his contributions to the Polish literary scene, publishing several novels and short stories that explored themes of national identity and social issues.
Moving into the 20th century, one notable figure was Michał GRABA, a Polish sculptor and artist who was born in 1900. His works were widely acclaimed, and he is particularly known for his monumental sculptures that adorned public spaces in various Polish cities.
Additionally, the GRABA surname can be found in other Central and Eastern European countries, such as Germany and the Czech Republic, likely due to migration and the shifting of borders throughout history.
While the GRABA surname has its roots in Poland, it has since spread worldwide, with descendants of those early families now residing in various countries across multiple continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Graba
Among Census respondents with the surname Graba, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Graba 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 Graba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Graba
Graba appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+12 bearers (+11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,637 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.4%) | Up 10,637 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 Graba 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 | #144,270 | 6.9% |
| Count | 105 | 117 | 11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Graba bearers went from 105 to 117 (+11.4% change). The surname moved up 10,637 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #144,270.
FAQ
Graba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Graba?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Graba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Graba?
Graba ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Graba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Graba.
Has Graba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Graba went from 105 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 12 (+11.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Graba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Graba, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Graba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Graba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Graba (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 Graba mean?
A surname possibly derived from a Polish place name or occupation. 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 Graba (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 people have the last name Graba?
Want to know how many people are called Graba? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.