2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Graiff
A surname derived from the Old French term for "griffon" or "griffin," a mythical creature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Graiff. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Graiff 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Graiff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Graiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Graiff
The surname Graiff is believed to have originated in the German region of Bavaria during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "greif," which means "griffin" or "mythical creature." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as a nickname or descriptive term for someone who was perceived to have a fierce or powerful demeanor reminiscent of the legendary griffin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Graiff name can be found in the Bavarian town records of Nuremberg, dated to the late 1400s. These records mention a certain "Hans Graiff," who was a local tradesman and landowner. Around the same time, the name also appears in various church registries and tax records throughout the neighboring regions of Franconia and Swabia.
During the 16th century, the Graiff surname began to spread beyond Bavaria as families migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. In 1537, a man named Wilhelm Graiff was documented as a resident of the city of Augsburg, where he worked as a skilled goldsmith. Another notable figure was Johann Graiff, born in 1612 in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, who served as a Protestant minister and authored several religious texts.
As the name traveled across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, including Greiff, Greyff, and Grayff. In the 17th century, a French branch of the family emerged, with the surname being recorded as "Graiffe" or "Greffe." One prominent individual from this lineage was Pierre Graiffe, a successful merchant and landowner born in Strasbourg in 1648.
In the 19th century, the Graiff name gained recognition in the field of academia and literature. Notable figures include the German historian and author Friedrich Graiff (1805-1876), who wrote extensively on the history of the Reformation, and the Austrian writer and poet Max Graiff (1873-1942), whose works explored themes of nature and spirituality.
Throughout its history, the Graiff surname has been carried by individuals from diverse walks of life, including artisans, clergymen, scholars, and businessmen. While the name may have originated as a descriptive term for a fierce or imposing individual, it has since evolved to represent a rich cultural heritage spanning multiple centuries and regions across Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Graiff
Among Census respondents with the surname Graiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Graiff 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 Graiff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 102
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Graiff
Graiff 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
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-11 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,449 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 9,449 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 Graiff 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 | #144,141 | #153,590 | -6.6% |
| Count | 115 | 104 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Graiff bearers went from 115 to 104 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 9,449 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #153,590.
FAQ
Graiff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Graiff?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Graiff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Graiff?
Graiff ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Graiff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Graiff.
Has Graiff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Graiff went from 115 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Graiff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Graiff, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Graiff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Graiff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Black (1.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%). 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 Graiff (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 Graiff mean?
A surname derived from the Old French term for "griffon" or "griffin," a mythical creature. 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 Graiff (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 Graiff?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Graiff on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.