Japanese Surnames Japanese  Surnames

Japan is a country of rich and varied culture, where surnames play a crucial role in each individual's identity. In this article, we will explore the most common surnames among Japanese people, reflecting the diversity and history of this fascinating country. Japanese surnames can have very deep meanings and convey information about the family of origin, place of residence or even the occupation of the ancestors. Join us on this journey through the list of the most common surnames in Japan and discover the beauty and complexity of the structure of surnames in this ancient culture.

  1. Tanaka (1412059)
  2. Okamura (1250285)
  3. Ito (1131380)
  4. Inoue (1100162)
  5. Ishii (865508)
  6. Ishida (689033)
  7. Yaguchi (658957)
  8. Kimura (603312)
  9. Abu (542403)
  10. Nakashima (499611)
  11. Aoki (471655)
  12. Sanka (436749)
  13. Okawa (410332)
  14. Takeuchi (368220)
  15. Arai (362017)
  16. Saito (356654)
  17. Nakano (330655)
  18. Shiraishi (319344)
  19. Miura (305801)
  20. Sakai (289303)
  21. Uchiyama (275331)
  22. Morita (272326)
  23. Ageta (253988)
  24. Kawano (251722)
  25. Miyamoto (243911)
  26. Oshima (231375)
  27. Imai (222305)
  28. Kawamura (219392)
  29. Saita (218918)
  30. Murata (215111)
  31. Kan (213497)
  32. Kubota (212724)
  33. Sakurai (211202)
  34. Oba (208910)
  35. Oyama (207656)
  36. Matsui (206979)
  37. Taketa (200899)
  38. Sano (194709)
  39. Nagai (193492)
  40. Imura (191550)
  41. Matsuo (191068)
  42. Kishimoto (190738)
  43. Abe (185602)
  44. Kitamura (171986)
  45. Osawa (163259)
  46. Agari (161215)
  47. Uchida (161198)
  48. Kanno (159942)
  49. Ada (159450)
  50. Hayashi (159221)
  51. Tsuchiya (158581)
  52. Kawasaki (158516)
  53. Akiyama (156404)
  54. Iwata (156037)
  55. Kano (155801)
  56. Isa (155609)
  57. Asano (149465)
  58. Hotta (149322)
  59. Yano (144763)
  60. Matsushita (142478)
  61. Hoshino (142290)
  62. Araki (142194)
  63. Kaai (140702)
  64. Osaki (138350)
  65. Uemura (138083)
  66. Nota (137170)
  67. Matsuura (136305)
  68. Miyata (133026)
  69. Hirai (130742)
  70. Okura (130189)
  71. Nishiyama (128777)
  72. Ota (128498)
  73. Amano (128356)
  74. Kasai (126373)
  75. Ori (125832)
  76. Oishi (124863)
  77. Ishizaki (123573)
  78. Imoto (120922)
  79. Onishi (116278)
  80. Fukui (114017)
  81. Koga (114016)
  82. Honma (113403)
  83. Kaneda (112295)
  84. Oka (112190)
  85. Aki (110521)
  86. Okumura (110301)
  87. Narita (110003)
  88. Tashima (109681)
  89. Asai (108759)
  90. Kataoka (108568)
  91. Sugiura (108176)
  92. Makino (105757)
  93. Nakamura (105613)
  94. Hagi (105317)
  95. Tokuda (103277)
  96. Aita (103061)
  97. Nakao (102522)
  98. Imamura (102295)
  99. Kita (102263)
  100. Okabe (101494)
  101. Ai (98910)
  102. Tomita (97491)
  103. Nemoto (97048)
  104. Daisen (96394)
  105. Tsukamoto (95545)
  106. Saiki (95511)
  107. Kawamoto (95093)
  108. Shirai (94837)
  109. Iizuka (94424)
  110. Sakaguchi (94027)
  111. Ohara (93366)
  112. Morishita (92231)
  113. Oikawa (91235)
  114. Nai (89369)
  115. Arata (89257)
  116. Kada (87110)
  117. Zensen (86637)
  118. Nakatani (85143)
  119. Inaba (85084)
  120. Kitano (84964)
  121. Tashiro (84331)
  122. Kanai (84194)
  123. Tanabe (84161)
  124. Itagaki (84069)
  125. Horiuchi (83153)
  126. Ishizuka (82807)
  127. Kishi (82077)
  128. Okano (81350)
  129. Takimoto (79826)
  130. Sanne (79351)
  131. Iwai (79191)
  132. Akimoto (78087)
  133. Nakahara (77676)
  134. Shinozaki (77602)
  135. Tota (77421)
  136. Muramatsu (77214)
  137. Takei (74426)
  138. Sage (74271)
  139. Kasahara (73790)
  140. Usui (73159)
  141. Yamada (72871)
  142. Sakamoto (72679)
  143. Kai (72431)
  144. Kurokawa (72000)
  145. Okino (71168)
  146. Takemoto (70094)
  147. Kota (69916)
  148. Nishioka (69765)
  149. Fujisawa (68877)
  150. Horie (68283)
  151. Nonaka (67682)
  152. Kuroki (67457)
  153. Yamakawa (66288)
  154. Murai (66119)
  155. Suta (65467)
  156. Kana (65066)
  157. Okuyama (64650)
  158. Yoshihara (62317)
  159. Takenaka (61820)
  160. Uno (61685)
  161. Hata (60404)
  162. Okuno (59833)
  163. Iguchi (59167)
  164. Kawahara (57692)
  165. Kurita (57674)
  166. Matsuzaki (57635)
  167. Segawa (57084)
  168. Fujioka (56773)
  169. Geda (56540)
  170. Hika (56376)
  171. Kawara (56295)
  172. Wakamatsu (55595)
  173. Aihara (55222)
  174. Kamei (54989)
  175. Touson (54904)
  176. Seto (54341)
  177. Komori (53309)
  178. Osano (52980)
  179. Toda (52730)
  180. Morioka (52404)
  181. Izumi (52380)
  182. Ishiyama (51945)
  183. Sanson (51725)
  184. Osaka (51704)
  185. Saki (51021)
  186. Hiramatsu (50788)
  187. Ikuta (50707)
  188. Tahara (50469)
  189. Shimura (50321)
  190. Shimamura (49979)
  191. Kaku (49682)
  192. Kashima (49251)
  193. Asami (48846)
  194. Takai (48745)
  195. Takase (48597)
  196. Yuasa (48594)
  197. Sato (48397)
  198. Kitahara (48372)
  199. Kitashima (48341)
  200. Yamaoka (47830)
  201. Nagaoka (47480)
  202. Tokunaga (47259)
  203. Kaji (47194)
  204. Nuta (47059)
  205. Horikawa (46673)
  206. Ka (46523)
  207. Fukuhara (46252)
  208. Kurata (46122)
  209. Hatake (46075)
  210. Terashima (45682)
  211. Kouta (45393)
  212. Sata (44593)
  213. Ueki (44548)
  214. Iwashita (44451)
  215. Murase (44238)
  216. Matsuno (43917)
  217. Ooi (43811)
  218. Yoshii (43763)
  219. Tsuboi (43060)
  220. Suzuki (42347)
  221. Okita (42064)
  222. Suda (41541)
  223. Enzan (41247)
  224. Shirakawa (41192)
  225. Teshima (41118)
  226. Furusawa (41010)
  227. Ita (40969)
  228. Koya (40725)
  229. Hamano (40661)
  230. Usami (40660)
  231. Kawata (40345)
  232. Kawase (39743)
  233. Kurihara (39719)
  234. Matsumoto (39505)
  235. Kageyama (39373)
  236. Fukuyama (39302)
  237. Satake (39257)
  238. Hamasaki (39020)
  239. Ohata (38873)
  240. Toshima (38715)
  241. Nomoto (38639)
  242. Nasu (38590)
  243. Kase (38587)
  244. Nakasato (38444)
  245. Matsukawa (38008)
  246. Osada (37853)
  247. Hamazaki (37696)
  248. Horii (37666)
  249. Mikami (37438)
  250. Nakazawa (37180)
  251. Teramoto (37048)
  252. Kawashima (36678)
  253. Ichimura (36673)
  254. Kusano (36640)
  255. Muraoka (36546)
  256. Shintani (36500)
  257. Takashima (36336)
  258. Sakashita (36319)
  259. Tomioka (36150)
  260. Suita (36026)
  261. Terai (36015)
  262. Kojima (35948)
  263. Sone (35691)
  264. Kusaka (35669)
  265. Torii (35635)
  266. Oda (35511)
  267. Uchino (35444)
  268. Kitayama (35263)
  269. Arakaki (35081)
  270. Ida (35063)
  271. Sagawa (34854)
  272. Tamai (34768)
  273. Hamamoto (34736)
  274. Naiya (34512)
  275. Susa (34281)
  276. Fukaya (34088)
  277. Ae (33702)
  278. Yamamoto (33670)
  279. Arita (33647)
  280. Komuro (33452)
  281. Kitazawa (33414)
  282. Mori (33309)
  283. Kuramoto (33296)
  284. Hirao (33284)
  285. Mouri (33270)
  286. Sakagami (33179)
  287. Taki (33096)
  288. Iwasa (32697)
  289. Akui (32520)
  290. Ogawa (32271)
  291. Ebara (32194)
  292. Takahashi (32174)
  293. Sahara (32149)
  294. Matsuki (32012)
  295. Noue (31707)
  296. Kanamori (31705)
  297. Makita (31504)
  298. Otera (31338)
  299. Fujiki (31141)
  300. Ishimoto (31099)
  301. Arakawa (30951)
  302. Watanabe (30928)
  303. Sanjo (30821)
  304. Nakata (30686)
  305. Horikoshi (30653)
  306. Hosono (30092)
  307. Sugimura (30029)
  308. Hiratsuka (29936)
  309. Sawai (29893)
  310. Akamatsu (29887)
  311. Kuroiwa (29754)
  312. Otaki (29566)
  313. Kuramochi (29265)
  314. Iwanaga (29194)
  315. Nohara (29170)
  316. Tasaki (29155)
  317. Koyama (29076)
  318. Shimazu (28997)
  319. Ishimaru (28838)
  320. Miyano (28500)
  321. Suka (28300)
  322. Sakano (28282)
  323. Katsura (28266)
  324. Kido (28263)
  325. Oki (28161)
  326. Umemoto (27961)
  327. Asakawa (27951)
  328. Esaki (27835)
  329. Azama (27661)
  330. Takita (27633)
  331. Suinaga (27588)
  332. Ise (27268)
  333. Kadota (27264)
  334. Eda (27225)
  335. Sasaki (27159)
  336. Onuma (27114)
  337. Urata (27058)
  338. Ina (26850)
  339. Saka (26752)
  340. Sugino (26556)
  341. Moriwaki (26539)
  342. Mano (26234)
  343. Konno (26136)
  344. Nagasaki (25787)
  345. Tamaki (25606)
  346. Seo (25511)
  347. Hashizume (25449)
  348. Terao (25440)
  349. Kobayashi (25427)
  350. Yata (25384)

The most common Japanese surnames

Surnames in Japan are an important part of a person's identity. Unlike many other countries, in Japan the surname is placed before the first name, indicating the importance placed on family and heritage. Over the years, Japanese surnames have evolved and changed, reflecting the country's history and culture.

Origin of Japanese surnames

In Japan, surnames have been used for centuries, but it was not until the Meiji era (1868-1912) that a modern surname system was established. Before that, people used to use their clan or family name to identify themselves. However, in the Meiji era, a population registration system was implemented that required everyone to have a specific surname.

Japanese surnames are usually made up of one or two kanji (Chinese characters) that have a meaning or a connection to family history. Some Japanese surnames are very common and found throughout the country, while others are rarer and specific to certain regions or families.

The most common surnames in Japan

In Japan, there are a wide variety of surnames, but some are more common than others. Below is a list of some of the most common surnames in Japan:

  • Sato
  • Suzuki
  • Takahashi
  • Tanaka
  • Watanabe
  • Ito
  • Yamamoto
  • Nakamura
  • Kobayashi
  • Kato

These surnames are common throughout Japan and are found in many families throughout the country. Each one has a unique meaning and story behind it, reflecting the diversity and cultural richness of Japan.

The importance of surnames in Japanese society

In Japan, a surname is not just a word used to identify a person, but also carries with it a sense of history, tradition and family pride. The Japanese tend to have great respect for their ancestors and highly value their family roots.

Japanese surnames can also say a lot about the person who bears them. Some surnames are associated with certain professions or regions, while others may have a more symbolic or poetic meaning. Either way, the surname is an important part of a person's identity in Japanese society.

The evolution of Japanese surnames

Throughout history, Japanese surnames have experienced changes and evolutions. Some surnames have disappeared over time, while others have arisen as a result of marriages, adoptions or other circumstances.

Nowadays, Japanese surnames continue to change and adapt to the new realities of Japanese society. With globalization and the influence of other cultures, we may see more diversity in Japanese surnames in the future.

Conclusions

Japanese surnames are an important part of a person's identity and reflect the history and culture of the country. Over the years, Japanese surnames have evolved and changed, but they remain a source of pride and tradition for many families.

Whatever the meaning or history behind a Japanese surname, the truth is that each of them contributes to the richness and diversity of Japanese society. Japanese surnames are much more than just words, they are a reflection of the history and identity of a people.