2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Grafstrom
A Swedish surname possibly derived from the words "grav" (grave) and "ström" (stream).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 208 Americans carry the last name Grafstrom. That puts it at #105,198 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,647,857 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Grafstrom 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
208
1 in 1,647,857
Census rank
#105,198
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
181
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 181 bearers of the surname Grafstrom in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 105198th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Grafstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Grafstrom
The surname Grafstrom originated in Sweden during the 17th century. It is derived from the Swedish words "grav" meaning "grave" and "ström" meaning "stream", suggesting a connection to a burial site near a flowing body of water.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Grafstrom can be found in the parish records of Södermanland County, dated around 1675. It is believed that the name may have initially referred to a specific location or farm near a graveyard and stream.
In the late 17th century, a man named Johan Grafstrom (1662-1737) was a prominent figure in the Swedish East India Company, serving as a merchant and ship's captain. His voyages to Asia contributed to the spread of the Grafstrom name across various Swedish colonies and trading outposts.
During the 18th century, the Grafstrom surname gained recognition when Carl Gustaf Grafstrom (1718-1799) became a respected military officer and cartographer. His detailed maps of the Swedish territories were widely used by the military and government officials of the time.
Another notable individual with the Grafstrom surname was Anna Grafstrom (1805-1881), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in Sweden. She founded several schools for girls and campaigned for improved access to education for women.
In the 19th century, the Grafstrom family produced several prominent academics and scientists. One such figure was Johan August Grafstrom (1835-1912), a professor of chemistry at Uppsala University who made significant contributions to the field of analytical chemistry.
Throughout its history, the Grafstrom surname has been associated with various professions and achievements, from military service and cartography to education and scientific research. While its origins can be traced back to a specific region in Sweden, the name has since spread across the country and beyond, carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Grafstrom
Among Census respondents with the surname Grafstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Grafstrom 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 Grafstrom surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.4% · 180
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Grafstrom
Grafstrom 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
#111,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 157
+24 bearers (+18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 8,342 places
2020
#105,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 181
+24 bearers (+15.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 6,790 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #111,988 | 157 | 0.05 | +24 bearers (+18.0%) | Up 8,342 places |
| 2020 | #105,198 | 181 | 0.06 | +24 bearers (+15.3%) | Up 6,790 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 Grafstrom 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 | #111,988 | #105,198 | 6.1% |
| Count | 157 | 181 | 15.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 21.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Grafstrom bearers went from 157 to 181 (+15.3% change). The surname moved up 6,790 positions in the national ranking, going from #111,988 to #105,198.
FAQ
Grafstrom surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Grafstrom?
Name Census estimates that about 208 living Americans carry the surname Grafstrom. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,647,857 residents.
How common is Grafstrom?
Grafstrom ranks #105,198 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 181 people with the surname Grafstrom. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (208), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Grafstrom.
Has Grafstrom become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Grafstrom went from 157 recorded bearers to 181. That is an increase of 24 (+15.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #111,988 to #105,198.
What does the Census say about the background of Grafstrom?
Among Census respondents with the surname Grafstrom, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Grafstrom in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.4% (180 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Grafstrom appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Grafstrom (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 Grafstrom mean?
A Swedish surname possibly derived from the words "grav" (grave) and "ström" (stream). 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 Grafstrom (0.06 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 Grafstrom?
Want to know how many people have the last name Grafstrom? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.