2000
#3,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,402
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.86
Uncommon Last name
Graber
An occupational surname for a digger or ditch excavator, derived from the German word "graben" meaning "to dig."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,585 Americans carry the last name Graber. That puts it at #2,758 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,500 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Graber 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
15K
1 in 23,500
Census rank
#2,758
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,719 bearers of the surname Graber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2758th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Graber, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Graber
The surname Graber has its origins in the German and Swiss-German languages, and it is believed to have emerged in the regions of southern Germany and Switzerland during the late Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "graben," which means "to dig" or "to excavate," and it likely referred to someone who worked as a digger or ditch-maker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Alsatian town of Strasbourg, where a certain Henrich Graber was mentioned in a municipal document dated 1357. The name also appeared in various Swiss records from the 14th and 15th centuries, such as the Zurich Taufbücher (baptismal records) and the Luzerner Schatzungsrödel (tax registers).
In the 16th century, the surname Graber was well-established in the German-speaking regions of Europe, and several notable individuals bore this name. One such person was Hans Graber (1530-1592), a Swiss theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Basel.
The name Graber also had variations in spelling, such as Greber, Gräber, and Gräber, which were likely influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation. Some of these variations can be found in historical records from places like the Palatinate region of Germany, where a certain Johannes Greber was mentioned in a document from 1589.
Another notable figure with the surname Graber was Johann Baptist Graber (1808-1859), an Austrian painter and lithographer who was known for his landscapes and portraits. His works can be found in various museums and collections across Europe.
In the 19th century, the name Graber also appeared in parts of France, particularly in the Alsace region, which had a significant German-speaking population. One example is the French sculptor Auguste Graber (1849-1919), whose works can be seen in several public spaces and museums in Paris and other cities.
Among the more recent historical figures with the surname Graber is Vicki Baum (1888-1960), an Austrian-born novelist and biographer whose real name was Vicki Graber. Her most famous work, "Grand Hotel," was a bestseller and was later adapted into a successful Hollywood film.
It is worth noting that while the surname Graber has its roots in German-speaking regions, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, the historical records and examples provided here focus primarily on the earlier origins and notable bearers of this name in Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Graber
Among Census respondents with the surname Graber, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Graber 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 Graber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 12,137
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 260
- Two or more races1.6% · 200
- Black or African American0.4% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 47
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Graber
Graber 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
#2,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,204
+1,802 bearers (+17.3%)
Per 100,000 4.14
Rank movement Up 228 places
2020
#2,758
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,719
+515 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 4.26
Rank movement Up 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,165 | 10,402 | 3.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,937 | 12,204 | 4.14 | +1,802 bearers (+17.3%) | Up 228 places |
| 2020 | #2,758 | 12,719 | 4.26 | +515 bearers (+4.2%) | Up 179 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 Graber 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 | #2,937 | #2,758 | 6.1% |
| Count | 12,204 | 12,719 | 4.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.14 | 4.26 | 2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Graber bearers went from 12,204 to 12,719 (+4.2% change). The surname moved up 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,937 to #2,758.
FAQ
Graber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Graber?
Name Census estimates that about 14,585 living Americans carry the surname Graber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,500 residents.
How common is Graber?
Graber ranks #2,758 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,719 people with the surname Graber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,585), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Graber.
Has Graber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Graber went from 12,204 recorded bearers to 12,719. That is an increase of 515 (+4.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,937 to #2,758.
What does the Census say about the background of Graber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Graber, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Graber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (12,137 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Graber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Hispanic (2.0%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Graber (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 Graber mean?
An occupational surname for a digger or ditch excavator, derived from the German word "graben" meaning "to dig." 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 Graber (4.26 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 Graber?
You can see how common the surname Graber is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.