2000
#22,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,068
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Graeff
A surname meaning "count" or "earl" in German.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,132 Americans carry the last name Graeff. That puts it at #26,092 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 302,787 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Graeff 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
1.1K
1 in 302,787
Census rank
#26,092
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
987
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 987 bearers of the surname Graeff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 26092nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Graeff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Graeff
The surname Graeff has its origins in the German language, with its earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "graf," which means "count" or "earl," suggesting that the name may have initially been associated with nobility or landed gentry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the historical records of the city of Cologne, Germany, where a certain Henricus Graeff was mentioned in a document from 1174. This indicates that the name was already established in the region during that period.
In the 13th century, the Graeff family emerged as a prominent lineage in the German state of Hesse. Records show that a Gottfried Graeff served as a city councilor in Marburg, Hesse, in the year 1270. The family's influence and landholdings continued to grow over the following centuries, with various branches establishing themselves in different parts of Germany.
During the 16th century, the Graeff name gained further recognition with the birth of Johann Friedrich Graeff (1545-1623), a German Reformed theologian and professor at the University of Heidelberg. His contributions to the field of theology and his published works added to the prestige of the family name.
In the 17th century, the Graeff surname spread to other parts of Europe, particularly the Netherlands. One notable figure was Willem Graeff (1630-1711), a Dutch merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of Amsterdam from 1691 to 1693.
The 18th century saw the emergence of Johann Friedrich Christoph Graeff (1719-1795), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as the president of the High Court of Appeals in Berlin. His works on legal theory and practice were widely influential during his time.
As the centuries passed, the Graeff name continued to be associated with individuals of notable accomplishments. In the 19th century, Arnold Graeff (1847-1924) was a German-American artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraits, many of which depicted scenes from his native Germany.
Throughout its long history, the surname Graeff has maintained its presence across various regions of Germany and beyond, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in fields such as law, politics, religion, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Graeff
Among Census respondents with the surname Graeff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Graeff 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 Graeff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 908
- Two or more races3.1% · 31
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 6
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Graeff
Graeff 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
#23,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,056
-12 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 1,418 places
2020
#26,092
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 987
-69 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 2,193 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,481 | 1,068 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,899 | 1,056 | 0.36 | -12 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 1,418 places |
| 2020 | #26,092 | 987 | 0.33 | -69 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 2,193 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 Graeff 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 | #23,899 | #26,092 | -9.2% |
| Count | 1,056 | 987 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.36 | 0.33 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Graeff bearers went from 1,056 to 987 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 2,193 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,899 to #26,092.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Graeff
FAQ
Graeff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Graeff?
Name Census estimates that about 1,132 living Americans carry the surname Graeff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 302,787 residents.
How common is Graeff?
Graeff ranks #26,092 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.33 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 987 people with the surname Graeff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.33 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 Graeff.
Has Graeff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Graeff went from 1,056 recorded bearers to 987. That is a decrease of 69 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,899 to #26,092.
What does the Census say about the background of Graeff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Graeff, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Graeff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (908 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Graeff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Graeff (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 Graeff mean?
A surname meaning "count" or "earl" in German. 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 Graeff (0.33 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 Graeff?
Find out how many people are called Graeff on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.