2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Grafman
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "count's meadow" or "manor".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Grafman. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grafman 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Grafman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grafman, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grafman
The surname Grafman is of German origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was first recorded in the 13th century.
The name Grafman is derived from the German words "Graf," meaning "count" or "earl," and "man," meaning "man." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who was in service to a count or earl, possibly as a steward or attendant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grafman can be found in the historical records of the city of Augsburg, where a certain Johann Grafman was documented as a merchant in the year 1348.
In the 15th century, the name Grafman appeared in the town chronicles of Nuremberg, where a family by that name was mentioned as prominent landowners and traders.
A notable figure bearing the surname Grafman was Hans Grafman, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1530 to 1592. He was renowned for his intricate woodcuts and engravings, many of which can be found in museums across Europe.
Another individual of historical significance was Friedrich Grafman, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1672 to 1738. He was a prominent figure in the philosophical movement known as Christian Wolffian philosophy, which sought to reconcile reason and faith.
In the 19th century, the surname Grafman was associated with the town of Grafenhausen, located in the Black Forest region of Germany. The town's name, which translates to "Count's House," is believed to be connected to the origin of the surname.
One of the most famous bearers of the name Grafman was Ernst Grafman, a German-American psychologist who lived from 1892 to 1958. He made significant contributions to the field of neuropsychology and is particularly known for his work on the assessment and rehabilitation of brain-injured individuals.
Another notable figure was Max Grafman, a German-born American artist who lived from 1888 to 1969. He was a prominent member of the Ashcan School, a group of American realist painters who depicted scenes of everyday life in New York City in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grafman
Among Census respondents with the surname Grafman, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Grafman 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 Grafman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 110
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grafman
Grafman 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,531 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,531 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 318 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 Grafman 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 | #148,347 | #148,665 | -0.2% |
| Count | 111 | 111 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grafman bearers went from 111 to 111 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 318 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #148,665.
FAQ
Grafman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grafman?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Grafman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Grafman?
Grafman ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Grafman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Grafman.
Has Grafman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grafman went from 111 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Grafman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grafman, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (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 Grafman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grafman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (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 Grafman (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 Grafman mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "count's meadow" or "manor". 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 Grafman (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 share the surname Grafman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.