2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Graeler
A German occupational surname derived from "gralen" meaning to dig or excavate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Graeler. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Graeler 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Graeler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Graeler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Graeler
The surname Graeler is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the early medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "graler," which referred to a person who made or sold earthenware pots or bowls. The name may also be related to the Middle High German word "gral," meaning a vessel or grail.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Graeler can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony dating back to the 13th century. Here, the name "Graler" is mentioned in reference to a potter or ceramic maker in the town of Meissen.
In the 15th century, the Graeler name appeared in various records and manuscripts in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia. For example, a certain Hans Graeler was listed as a resident of the city of Nuremberg in 1472, working as a potter and ceramic artisan.
During the 16th century, the Graeler surname began to spread more widely across central and southern Germany. Notable individuals from this period include Johannes Graeler (1512-1585), a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Saxony, and Christoph Graeler (1537-1611), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Brandenburg.
In the 17th century, the Graeler name was also found in parts of Switzerland and Austria. One notable Swiss Graeler was Hans Ulrich Graeler (1625-1696), a merchant and influential citizen of the city of Zurich.
As the centuries progressed, the Graeler surname continued to be well-represented among potters, ceramic makers, and artisans throughout Germany and neighboring regions. Other notable individuals include Johann Georg Graeler (1705-1770), a German theologian and philosopher from Saxony, and Friedrich Wilhelm Graeler (1817-1895), a German botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Graeler
Among Census respondents with the surname Graeler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Graeler 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 Graeler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 102
- Two or more races5.5% · 6
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Graeler
Graeler 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
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,702 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 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 4,702 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 Graeler 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 | #150,205 | 3.0% |
| Count | 105 | 109 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Graeler bearers went from 105 to 109 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 4,702 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #150,205.
FAQ
Graeler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Graeler?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Graeler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Graeler?
Graeler ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Graeler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Graeler.
Has Graeler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Graeler went from 105 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 4 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Graeler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Graeler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Black (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 Graeler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Graeler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (5.5%), Black (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 Graeler (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 Graeler mean?
A German occupational surname derived from "gralen" meaning to dig or excavate. 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 Graeler (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 Graeler?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.