2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Graphman
A surname derived from a profession involving graphical or visual arts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Graphman. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Graphman 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Graphman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Graphman, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Graphman
The surname "GRAPHMAN" is believed to have originated in Germany during the late 16th century. It is derived from the German words "graphen" meaning "to write" and "mann" meaning "man", likely referring to an occupation involving writing or record-keeping.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Nürnberg, where a certain Hans Graphman is mentioned as a scribe in the year 1598. The name also appears in various church records and tax registers throughout the 17th century in regions such as Bavaria and Saxony.
There is some evidence that the name may have evolved from an even older form, "Graftmann", which can be traced back to the 14th century in parts of northern Germany. This variation likely referred to individuals responsible for digging or maintaining ditches and canals, deriving from the word "graft" meaning "ditch" or "trench".
In the 18th century, the Graphman surname began to spread across Europe as families migrated to different regions. Notable individuals bearing this name include Johann Christoph Graphman (1723-1789), a renowned cartographer from Leipzig who created detailed maps of central Europe.
Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Graphman (1801-1876), a German philosopher and author who wrote extensively on ethics and moral philosophy. His works were widely read and debated during the 19th century.
In the 20th century, Hans Graphman (1892-1972) was a respected archaeologist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Roman settlements in modern-day Germany and France. His excavations and findings shed new light on the daily lives of people living during the Roman Empire.
One of the more recent individuals with this surname was Margarethe Graphman (1915-2002), a pioneering physicist who worked on the development of early nuclear reactors. Her research helped pave the way for the peaceful use of nuclear energy in various industries.
While the Graphman name may not be as common today as it once was, it holds a rich history and has been carried by notable individuals across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Graphman
Among Census respondents with the surname Graphman, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Graphman 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 Graphman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 99
- Two or more races7.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Graphman
Graphman 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,674 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,674 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 7,274 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 Graphman 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 | #153,769 | #146,495 | 4.7% |
| Count | 106 | 114 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Graphman bearers went from 106 to 114 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 7,274 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #146,495.
FAQ
Graphman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Graphman?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Graphman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Graphman?
Graphman ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Graphman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Graphman.
Has Graphman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Graphman went from 106 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 8 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Graphman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Graphman, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Graphman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Graphman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Two or More Races (7.0%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Graphman (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 Graphman mean?
A surname derived from a profession involving graphical or visual arts. 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 Graphman (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 Americans have the surname Graphman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.