2000
#50,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 386
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Tominaga
A Japanese surname derived from the place name or descriptive term referring to a bountiful rice field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 437 Americans carry the last name Tominaga. That puts it at #57,668 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 784,335 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tominaga 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
437
1 in 784,335
Census rank
#57,668
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
381
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 381 bearers of the surname Tominaga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 57668th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tominaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.4%) and Two or More Races (9.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tominaga
The surname Tominaga is of Japanese origin, with its roots tracing back to the Muromachi period (1336-1573) in the Chubu region of central Japan. It is believed to have originated from a combination of two Japanese words: "tomi," meaning wealth or fortune, and "naga," meaning long or lasting.
In the early stages of its history, the Tominaga name was primarily associated with samurai families and wealthy landowners in the Nagoya and Gifu areas. One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Ōnin War chronicles (1467-1477), where a samurai named Tominaga Nobumitsu is mentioned for his bravery in battle.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Tominaga family gained prominence in the city of Ogaki, where they served as retainers to the powerful Tōdō clan. Notable members from this era include Tominaga Masahiro (1627-1705), a scholar and advisor to the Tōdō daimyo, and Tominaga Kichisaburō (1755-1834), a skilled swordsmith whose works were highly sought after by samurai across Japan.
As the Meiji Restoration ushered in a new era of modernization in the late 19th century, the Tominaga name spread to other regions of Japan. One prominent figure from this time was Tominaga Yukio (1844-1912), a politician and diplomat who played a crucial role in establishing Japan's diplomatic relations with Western nations.
In the 20th century, the Tominaga surname continued to be represented in various fields. Tominaga Masao (1902-1982) was a renowned philosopher and author who explored the concept of "nothingness" in Eastern thought. Tominaga Hiroshi (1912-1993) was a celebrated architect whose designs blended traditional Japanese elements with modern aesthetics.
Another notable figure was Tominaga Seiji (1918-2009), a prolific novelist and essayist who explored themes of war, memory, and identity in his works. His novel "Saigo no Ningen" (The Last Human) won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize in 1949.
Throughout its history, the Tominaga surname has been associated with various regions, occupations, and achievements, reflecting the rich cultural tapestry of Japan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tominaga
Among Census respondents with the surname Tominaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.4%) and Two or More Races (9.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Tominaga 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 Tominaga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander74.0% · 282
- White9.4% · 36
- Two or more races9.2% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tominaga
Tominaga 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
#51,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 401
+15 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 1,029 places
2020
#57,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 381
-20 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 5,838 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #50,801 | 386 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #51,830 | 401 | 0.14 | +15 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 1,029 places |
| 2020 | #57,668 | 381 | 0.13 | -20 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 5,838 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 Tominaga 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 | #51,830 | #57,668 | -11.3% |
| Count | 401 | 381 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.13 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tominaga bearers went from 401 to 381 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 5,838 positions in the national ranking, going from #51,830 to #57,668.
FAQ
Tominaga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tominaga?
Name Census estimates that about 437 living Americans carry the surname Tominaga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 784,335 residents.
How common is Tominaga?
Tominaga ranks #57,668 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 381 people with the surname Tominaga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (437), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Tominaga.
Has Tominaga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tominaga went from 401 recorded bearers to 381. That is a decrease of 20 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #51,830 to #57,668.
What does the Census say about the background of Tominaga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tominaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.0%. The next largest groups are White (9.4%) and Two or More Races (9.2%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Tominaga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.0% (282 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tominaga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (74.0%), White (9.4%), Two or More Races (9.2%). 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 Tominaga (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 Tominaga mean?
A Japanese surname derived from the place name or descriptive term referring to a bountiful rice field. 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 Tominaga (0.13 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 Americans have the surname Tominaga?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.