2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grafer
A German surname derived from the word "graben" meaning "to dig or excavate".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Grafer. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grafer 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Grafer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grafer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grafer
The surname "GRAFER" is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, around the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "grafer," which means "engraver" or "carver." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were likely skilled artisans involved in the craft of engraving or woodcarving.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dated around 1280. The entry refers to a man named "Johannes Grafer," who was a woodcarver commissioned to create intricate designs for a local church.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various records across central Germany, particularly in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia. During this time, the spelling of the name varied slightly, with variations such as "Graefer" and "Gräfer" being documented.
The town of Grafenhausen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is believed to have taken its name from the presence of individuals bearing the surname "GRAFER" in the area. This town's name, which translates to "house of the engravers," further reinforces the connection between the surname and the profession of engraving.
Notable individuals bearing the surname "GRAFER" throughout history include:
1. Johannes Grafer (c. 1280), the aforementioned woodcarver from Saxony.
2. Hans Grafer (c. 1490 - c. 1560), a renowned engraver from Nuremberg, known for his intricate designs on metalwork and jewelry.
3. Katharina Grafer (c. 1520 - c. 1590), a skilled woodcarver from Erfurt, whose works adorned several churches in the region.
4. Wilhelm Grafer (1812 - 1889), a German artist and engraver who specialized in printmaking and book illustrations.
5. Friedrich Grafer (1868 - 1942), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin during the early 20th century.
While the surname "GRAFER" may not be as common today, its origins can be traced back to the skilled artisans and craftsmen who practiced engraving and woodcarving in medieval Germany, leaving a lasting legacy in the form of their intricate works of art.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grafer
Among Census respondents with the surname Grafer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Grafer 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 Grafer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grafer
Grafer 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,882 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+5 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,092 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 11,882 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.3%) | Up 2,092 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 Grafer 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 | #144,141 | #142,049 | 1.5% |
| Count | 115 | 120 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grafer bearers went from 115 to 120 (+4.3% change). The surname moved up 2,092 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #142,049.
FAQ
Grafer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grafer?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Grafer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Grafer?
Grafer ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Grafer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Grafer.
Has Grafer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grafer went from 115 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 5 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Grafer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grafer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Grafer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grafer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Hispanic (0.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Grafer (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 Grafer mean?
A German surname derived from the word "graben" 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 Grafer (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 Grafer?
Want to know how many people have the last name Grafer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.