2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Graffigna
A surname derived from the Italian word "graffio" meaning "scratch" or "claw".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Graffigna. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Graffigna 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Graffigna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Graffigna, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Graffigna
The surname Graffigna has its origins in Italy, more specifically in the northern regions of Piedmont and Lombardy. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "graffia," which means "scratch" or "claw," and is likely related to an occupation or trade involving activities such as engraving or carving.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Graffigna can be found in a document from the city of Alessandria, dated 1387, which mentions a certain Guglielmo Graffigna. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 14th century.
In the 15th century, the name appears in records from the city of Milan, where a nobleman named Gian Antonio Graffigna is mentioned in a legal document from 1472. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of northern Italy by that time.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure with the surname Graffigna was Francesco Graffigna, a painter and architect who lived in Genoa in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is known for his work on several churches and palaces in the city.
In the 17th century, a renowned physician and scholar named Giacomo Graffigna was born in Pavia in 1620. He authored several influential medical treatises and was a professor at the University of Pavia.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname Graffigna was Carlo Graffigna, a lawyer and politician who lived in the 18th century. Born in Turin in 1738, he held important positions in the government of the Kingdom of Sardinia.
Over the centuries, variations of the name have emerged, such as Graffi, Graffio, and Graffioni, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations common in Italy during different time periods.
While the name Graffigna is not among the most common Italian surnames, it has a long and notable history in the northern regions of Italy, particularly in the areas around Alessandria, Milan, Genoa, Pavia, and Turin, where it has been present for several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Graffigna
Among Census respondents with the surname Graffigna, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Graffigna 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 Graffigna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.9% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 10
- Two or more races6.1% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Graffigna
Graffigna 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+28 bearers (+27.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 17,634 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-15 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,147 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | +28 bearers (+27.5%) | Up 17,634 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 15,147 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 Graffigna 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 | #130,610 | #145,757 | -11.6% |
| Count | 130 | 115 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Graffigna bearers went from 130 to 115 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 15,147 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #145,757.
FAQ
Graffigna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Graffigna?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Graffigna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Graffigna?
Graffigna ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Graffigna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Graffigna.
Has Graffigna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Graffigna went from 130 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Graffigna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Graffigna, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Graffigna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Graffigna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.9%), Hispanic (8.7%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Graffigna (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 Graffigna mean?
A surname derived from the Italian word "graffio" meaning "scratch" or "claw". 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 Graffigna (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 are called Graffigna?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Graffigna at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.