2000
#2,637
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,601
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.67
Uncommon Last name
Graff
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a count, earl, or a local judge or magistrate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,208 Americans carry the last name Graff. That puts it at #2,828 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,124 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Graff 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Graff with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,124
Census rank
#2,828
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,390 bearers of the surname Graff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2828th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Graff, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Graff
Among Census respondents with the surname Graff, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Graff 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 Graff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 11,352
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 459
- Two or more races2.9% · 357
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 126
- Black or African American0.5% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Graff
Graff 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
#2,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,058
+457 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 4.43
Rank movement Down 125 places
2020
#2,828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,390
-668 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 4.15
Rank movement Down 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,637 | 12,601 | 4.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,762 | 13,058 | 4.43 | +457 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 125 places |
| 2020 | #2,828 | 12,390 | 4.15 | -668 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 66 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 Graff 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 | #2,762 | #2,828 | -2.4% |
| Count | 13,058 | 12,390 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.43 | 4.15 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Graff bearers went from 13,058 to 12,390 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,762 to #2,828.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Graff
FAQ
Graff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Graff?
Name Census estimates that about 14,208 living Americans carry the surname Graff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,124 residents.
How common is Graff?
Graff ranks #2,828 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,390 people with the surname Graff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,208), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Graff.
Has Graff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Graff went from 13,058 recorded bearers to 12,390. That is a decrease of 668 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,762 to #2,828.
What does the Census say about the background of Graff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Graff, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Graff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (11,352 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Graff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Graff (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 Graff mean?
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a count, earl, or a local judge or magistrate. 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 Graff (4.15 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 share the surname Graff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.