70+ Japanese Last Names That Have Stood the Test of Time

Popular Japanese Last Names

These Japanese surnames are popular among the island nation's people. Try touring Tokyo without bumping into at least one person with the last name Sato. – Hayashi - Means "forest" – Inoue - Means "above the well"

Popular Japanese Last Names

– Ito - Means "this wisteria" – Sasaki - Means "wise" – Kimura - Means "tree village" – Kobayashi - Means "small forest" – Makino - Means "pasture field"

Popular Japanese Last Names

– Miura - Means "three bays – Nakamura - Means "person from middle village" – Oba - Means "large garden" – Sasaki - Means "wren" – Sato - Sa means "to assist" and is a reference to the Fujiwara clan from the Heian Period

Popular Japanese Last Names

– Shimizu - Means "pure water" – Sone - Means "root" – Suzuki - Suzu means "bell" and ki means "tree, wood" – Takahashi - Means "tall, high bridge"

Popular Japanese Last Names

– Tanaka - Means "rice field" – Watanabe - Means "to cross over a river" – Yamada - Means "mountain rice paddy" – Yamamoto - Means "one who lives at the foot of the mountains"

Japanese Surnames Inspired By Nature

Several different cultures around the world have looked to nature to inspire last name choices. There is no shortage of Japanese surnames rooted in landscape, earthly elements, and places. – Agawa - Means "corner of a river or a stream" – Akiyama - Means "autumn mountain.

Japanese Surnames Inspired By Nature

– Aoki - Means "green tree" – Chiba - Means "thousand leaves" – Chisaka - Means "one thousand hills" – Furukawa - Means "old river" – Hara - Means "meadow"

Japanese Surnames Inspired By Nature

– Aoki - Means "green tree" – Chiba - Means "thousand leaves" – Chisaka - Means "one thousand hills" – Furukawa - Means "old river" – Hara - Means "meadow"

Japanese Surnames Inspired By Nature

– Mori - Means "forest" – Nishikawa - Means "western river" – Ohara - Means "great plain" – Okamoto - Means "one who lives at the bottom of the hill"

Japanese Surnames Inspired By Nature

– Omori - Means "large grove" – Sakai - Means "border or territory" – Shima - Means "island"

Rare and Interesting Last Names

Some last names sound fairly common, but their meanings are anything but ordinary. Other surnames are rarely heard in circulation. These Japanese last names are either interesting in backstory or quite uncommon among Japanese people.

Rare and Interesting Last Names

– Baba - Means "horse riding ground" – Chikafuji - Means "near the wysteria" – Ebina - Can mean "distinguished" or it can mean "shrimp" – Haga - Means "celebratory fragrance" – Himura - Translates to "scarlett village"

Rare and Interesting Last Names

– Ishioka - Means "stone hill" – Kido -Means "wooden castle door" – Kikuchi - Means "chrysanthemum pond" – Kubo - Means "sunken ground" – Kumagai - Means "bear valley"

Rare and Interesting Last Names

– Kurosawa - Means "black marsh" – Kutsuki - Means "decaying or rotting tree" – Sawai - Means "swamp well" – Tachibana - Means "tangerine"

Japanese Surnames Based on Traits, Personality, and Characteristics

Many last names have meanings that translate to physical characteristics, personality traits, or other qualities held by an individual. Does your Japanese last name fall into this surname category?

Japanese Surnames Based on Traits, Personality, and Characteristics

– Aikawa - Means "sympathizing with the river" – Bushida - Means "warrior way" – Daigo - Means "enlightenment" – Fukumoto - Means "blessed"

Japanese Surnames Based on Traits, Personality, and Characteristics

– Gushiken - Means "strong-willed" – Kaneko - Translates to "golden child" – Kubo - Means "protect" – Takao - Means "bulky" or "warrior"

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

These last names don't have a singular definition or meaning, but instead are made up of two parts, both with individual meanings. – Hamasaki - Hama means "beach" and saki means "cape" – Honda - Hon means "root" and da means "field"

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

– Koizumi - Ko means "small" and izumi means "spring" – Matsuoka - Matsu means "pine tree" and oka means "ridge" – Miyamoto - Miya means "temple" and moto mean means "base"

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

– Nakano - Naka means "inside or within" and no means "wilderness" – Ōshiro - O means "great" and shiro means "castle" – Shibuya - shibu means "rough" and ya means "valley"

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

– Sugiyama - Sugi means "cedar" and yama means "mountain" – Takeuchi - Means "bamboo" and "middle" – Yamaguchi - Yama means "mountain" and kuchi means "mouth entrance"

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

– Yoshida - Yoshi means "good luck" ta means "rice paddy" – Yukimura - Yuki means "snow" and mura means "town"

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

One can learn a lot from a last name. By dissecting your surname you may discover what your ancestors did for a living, where they lived in a specific region, what traits they possessed, or what kingdom or dynasty they were a part of long ago.

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

If you want to discover more about your familial heritage, origins, and history, learning about your last name is a great place to start the journey.

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70+ Japanese Last Names That Have Stood the Test of Time

Read more

Popular Japanese Last Names

These Japanese surnames are popular among the island nation's people. Try touring Tokyo without bumping into at least one person with the last name Sato. – Hayashi - Means "forest" – Inoue - Means "above the well"

Read more

Popular Japanese Last Names

– Ito - Means "this wisteria" – Sasaki - Means "wise" – Kimura - Means "tree village" – Kobayashi - Means "small forest" – Makino - Means "pasture field"

Read more

Popular Japanese Last Names

– Miura - Means "three bays – Nakamura - Means "person from middle village" – Oba - Means "large garden" – Sasaki - Means "wren" – Sato - Sa means "to assist" and is a reference to the Fujiwara clan from the Heian Period

Read more

Popular Japanese Last Names

– Shimizu - Means "pure water" – Sone - Means "root" – Suzuki - Suzu means "bell" and ki means "tree, wood" – Takahashi - Means "tall, high bridge"

Read more

Popular Japanese Last Names

– Tanaka - Means "rice field" – Watanabe - Means "to cross over a river" – Yamada - Means "mountain rice paddy" – Yamamoto - Means "one who lives at the foot of the mountains"

Read more

Japanese Surnames Inspired By Nature

Several different cultures around the world have looked to nature to inspire last name choices. There is no shortage of Japanese surnames rooted in landscape, earthly elements, and places. – Agawa - Means "corner of a river or a stream" – Akiyama - Means "autumn mountain.

Read more

Japanese Surnames Inspired By Nature

– Aoki - Means "green tree" – Chiba - Means "thousand leaves" – Chisaka - Means "one thousand hills" – Furukawa - Means "old river" – Hara - Means "meadow"

Read more

Japanese Surnames Inspired By Nature

– Aoki - Means "green tree" – Chiba - Means "thousand leaves" – Chisaka - Means "one thousand hills" – Furukawa - Means "old river" – Hara - Means "meadow"

Read more

Japanese Surnames Inspired By Nature

– Mori - Means "forest" – Nishikawa - Means "western river" – Ohara - Means "great plain" – Okamoto - Means "one who lives at the bottom of the hill"

Read more

Japanese Surnames Inspired By Nature

– Omori - Means "large grove" – Sakai - Means "border or territory" – Shima - Means "island"

Read more

Rare and Interesting Last Names

Some last names sound fairly common, but their meanings are anything but ordinary. Other surnames are rarely heard in circulation. These Japanese last names are either interesting in backstory or quite uncommon among Japanese people.

Read more

Rare and Interesting Last Names

– Baba - Means "horse riding ground" – Chikafuji - Means "near the wysteria" – Ebina - Can mean "distinguished" or it can mean "shrimp" – Haga - Means "celebratory fragrance" – Himura - Translates to "scarlett village"

Read more

Rare and Interesting Last Names

– Ishioka - Means "stone hill" – Kido -Means "wooden castle door" – Kikuchi - Means "chrysanthemum pond" – Kubo - Means "sunken ground" – Kumagai - Means "bear valley"

Read more

Rare and Interesting Last Names

– Kurosawa - Means "black marsh" – Kutsuki - Means "decaying or rotting tree" – Sawai - Means "swamp well" – Tachibana - Means "tangerine"

Read more

Japanese Surnames Based on Traits, Personality, and Characteristics

Many last names have meanings that translate to physical characteristics, personality traits, or other qualities held by an individual. Does your Japanese last name fall into this surname category?

Read more

Japanese Surnames Based on Traits, Personality, and Characteristics

– Aikawa - Means "sympathizing with the river" – Bushida - Means "warrior way" – Daigo - Means "enlightenment" – Fukumoto - Means "blessed"

Read more

Japanese Surnames Based on Traits, Personality, and Characteristics

– Gushiken - Means "strong-willed" – Kaneko - Translates to "golden child" – Kubo - Means "protect" – Takao - Means "bulky" or "warrior"

Read more

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

These last names don't have a singular definition or meaning, but instead are made up of two parts, both with individual meanings. – Hamasaki - Hama means "beach" and saki means "cape" – Honda - Hon means "root" and da means "field"

Read more

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

– Koizumi - Ko means "small" and izumi means "spring" – Matsuoka - Matsu means "pine tree" and oka means "ridge" – Miyamoto - Miya means "temple" and moto mean means "base"

Read more

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

– Nakano - Naka means "inside or within" and no means "wilderness" – Ōshiro - O means "great" and shiro means "castle" – Shibuya - shibu means "rough" and ya means "valley"

Read more

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

– Sugiyama - Sugi means "cedar" and yama means "mountain" – Takeuchi - Means "bamboo" and "middle" – Yamaguchi - Yama means "mountain" and kuchi means "mouth entrance"

Read more

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

– Yoshida - Yoshi means "good luck" ta means "rice paddy" – Yukimura - Yuki means "snow" and mura means "town"

Read more

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

One can learn a lot from a last name. By dissecting your surname you may discover what your ancestors did for a living, where they lived in a specific region, what traits they possessed, or what kingdom or dynasty they were a part of long ago.

Read more

Japanese Last Names Comprised of Two Meanings

If you want to discover more about your familial heritage, origins, and history, learning about your last name is a great place to start the journey.

View more

01.

02.

03.