Look up another surname
The graf Surname

graf Name Meaning and History

  1. German: status name from Middle High German grave, grabe, which was used as a title denoting various more or less aristocratic dignitaries and officials. In later times it became established as a title of nobility equivalent to the Romance count. The vocabulary word also denoted a variety of different minor local functionaries in different parts of Germany. In the Grand Duchy of Hesse, for example, it was used for the holder of the comparatively humble office of village headman. Compare Mayer, Schultz, and Vogt. The surname could have originated from any of these senses or be an occupational name for a servant or retainer of a count, or a nickname for someone who gave himself airs and graces.
  2. Variant spelling of Dutch Graef.
  3. Jewish (Ashkenazic): ornamental name selected, like Herzog and other words denoting titles, because of their aristocratic connotations.

Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
Learn the meaning and history of your first name
Share this page with friends and family

14–Day Free Trial

Download the Getting Started guide
It's FREE with registration!

graf Family Facts

Are you a Facebook user? Add graf family facts to your Facebook profile.
Distribution of graf Families in the US in 1920
Number of graf families
 175-348
 59-174
 1-58
 0
Compiled by Ancestry.com from the 1920 US Federal Census records

Click on a state to view graf census records

Year

How is this helpful?

  • You can decide where (in which states) to start searching for graf records.
  • You can see how graf families moved over time by selecting different Census years.

What do I do next?

The information for this map came from Ancestry.com’s US Federal Census Collection.
  • Census records can tell you little-known facts about your ancestors such as birthplace, residence and occupation.
  • Click here to search graf census records.

Search for graf records

Name

Birth

+/-
e.g. Chicago, Illinois, USA

Death

+/-
e.g. Chicago, Illinois, USA
Give priority to    

More resources for your graf family history

Start your FREE family tree. Who will you discover?

A family tree is the easiest way to start discovering your family history. To begin, just enter whatever you know and we'll use that to try and find more information for you.

Begin your family tree with your name:

Learn more about family trees.

The graf name in History

A unique volume of fascinating facts, statistics and commentary following the graf family name as far back in history as possible.

Member Connections

More Tools and Resources