2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Uptgraft
A surname derived from an Old English term meaning "on the graft" or "living in a grove."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Uptgraft. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Uptgraft 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Uptgraft in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Uptgraft, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Uptgraft
The surname UPTGRAFT is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the late 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Dutch words "up" meaning "up" or "above" and "graft" meaning "ditch" or "trench." The name may have initially referred to a person who lived near or worked with ditches or trenches located on higher ground.
One of the earliest known references to the name UPTGRAFT can be found in the Dutch village records of Zwolle, dating back to 1587. These records mention a farmer named Hendrick Uptgraft, suggesting the name was already established in the region at that time.
By the early 17th century, the name had spread to other parts of the Netherlands and neighboring regions. In 1612, a merchant named Jan Uptgraft was recorded as a member of the Dutch East India Company, indicating the name's presence in the trading community.
The name UPTGRAFT also appears in several historical manuscripts and documents from the 17th and 18th centuries. For example, the 1642 manuscript "Annalen van Amsterdam" (Annals of Amsterdam) mentions a shipwright named Pieter Uptgraft, who worked in the city's shipyards.
Notable individuals with the surname UPTGRAFT throughout history include:
1. Willem Uptgraft (1678-1745), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and still-life works.
2. Johannes Uptgraft (1712-1791), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious philosophy.
3. Anna Uptgraft (1756-1824), a Dutch actress and playwright who performed in several theaters in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
4. Hendrik Uptgraft (1803-1879), a Dutch politician who served as a member of the Dutch Parliament in the mid-19th century.
5. Elise Uptgraft (1867-1943), a German-born American author and activist who advocated for women's rights and suffrage.
While the surname UPTGRAFT has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with variations in spelling and pronunciation emerging over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uptgraft
Among Census respondents with the surname Uptgraft, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Uptgraft 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 Uptgraft surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Uptgraft
Uptgraft appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,303 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 Uptgraft 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 | #150,452 | #154,755 | -2.9% |
| Count | 109 | 102 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Uptgraft bearers went from 109 to 102 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,303 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #154,755.
FAQ
Uptgraft surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Uptgraft?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Uptgraft. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Uptgraft?
Uptgraft ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Uptgraft. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Uptgraft.
Has Uptgraft become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Uptgraft went from 109 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Uptgraft?
Among Census respondents with the surname Uptgraft, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) 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 Uptgraft in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Uptgraft appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%), 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 Uptgraft (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 Uptgraft mean?
A surname derived from an Old English term meaning "on the graft" or "living in a grove." 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 Uptgraft (0.03 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 have the last name Uptgraft?
See how many people are called Uptgraft on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.