Find out how popular the last name Graber is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Graber.

Graber, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Graber surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Graber in America

Graber is the 2937th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Graber surname appeared 12,204 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Graber.

We can also compare 2010 data for Graber to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Graber

The surname Graber has its origins in the German and Swiss-German languages, and it is believed to have emerged in the regions of southern Germany and Switzerland during the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "graben," which means "to dig" or "to excavate," and it likely referred to someone who worked as a digger or ditch-maker.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Alsatian town of Strasbourg, where a certain Henrich Graber was mentioned in a municipal document dated 1357. The name also appeared in various Swiss records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as the Zurich Taufbücher (baptismal records) and the Luzerner Schatzungsrödel (tax registers).

In the 16th century, the surname Graber was well-established in the German-speaking regions of Europe, and several notable individuals bore this name. One such person was Hans Graber (1530-1592), a Swiss theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Basel.

The name Graber also had variations in spelling, such as Greber, Gräber, and Gräber, which were likely influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation. Some of these variations can be found in historical records from places like the Palatinate region of Germany, where a certain Johannes Greber was mentioned in a document from 1589.

Another notable figure with the surname Graber was Johann Baptist Graber (1808-1859), an Austrian painter and lithographer who was known for his landscapes and portraits. His works can be found in various museums and collections across Europe.

In the 19th century, the name Graber also appeared in parts of France, particularly in the Alsace region, which had a significant German-speaking population. One example is the French sculptor Auguste Graber (1849-1919), whose works can be seen in several public spaces and museums in Paris and other cities.

Among the more recent historical figures with the surname Graber is Vicki Baum (1888-1960), an Austrian-born novelist and biographer whose real name was Vicki Graber. Her most famous work, "Grand Hotel," was a bestseller and was later adapted into a successful Hollywood film.

It is worth noting that while the surname Graber has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, the historical records and examples provided here focus primarily on the earlier origins and notable bearers of this name in Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Graber

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Graber.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Graber was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Graber has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Graber was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Graber, please contact us.

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