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

Graff, 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 Graff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Graff in America

Graff is the 2762nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Graff surname appeared 13,058 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 Graff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Graff 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 Graff

The surname GRAFF has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the German word "graf," which means "count" or "earl." The name likely originated in the German regions, particularly in areas where counts or earls held power and authority.

In the early medieval period, the title "graf" was given to high-ranking noble officials who governed a specific territory on behalf of the king or emperor. Over time, this title evolved into a hereditary surname, and those who held the position of "graf" began to pass it down to their descendants.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GRAFF can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval manuscript from the 9th century that documents land transactions and property ownership in the region of Westphalia, Germany. The name appears in various forms, such as "Gravo" and "Grav."

In the 11th century, the name GRAFF was mentioned in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This record suggests that individuals bearing the name had already settled in England by that time.

Among the notable individuals with the surname GRAFF throughout history are:

1. Arnold von Graff (c. 1310-1380), a German knight and military leader who fought in the Hundred Years' War.
2. Johann Graff (1624-1680), a German painter and engraver known for his depictions of still-life subjects.
3. Andreas Graff (1736-1813), a Swiss-born Austrian portrait painter who achieved fame for his portraits of European nobility and royalty.
4. Everhard Jabach (1618-1695), a wealthy German merchant and art collector whose original surname was GRAFF.
5. Johann Georg von Graff (1675-1746), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Imperial Court of Justice.

The name GRAFF has also been associated with various place names, particularly in Germany, where towns and villages like Grafenhausen, Grafenau, and Grafenberg likely derived their names from the presence of counts or earls in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Graff

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

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 Graff 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 Graff 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 Graff was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!