Katori
A Japanese name from a town known for its pottery.
Name Census estimates that about 190 living Americans carry the first name Katori. It is a predominantly female name (96.3% of registrations). The average person named Katori today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Katori births was 2023 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Katori. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
190
~ 1 in 1,803,970 Americans
Peak year
2023
26 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2023 SSA rank
#6,028
Tracked since 2007
Census
Katori in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 176 people with the first name Katori, which placed it at #41,537 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#41,537
National first-name rank
People counted
176
176 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
59.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Katori
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Katori is Black at 59.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and Two or More Races (10.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Katori 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Katori at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American59.1% · 104
- White16.5% · 29
- Two or more races10.2% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native6.8% · 12
Gender
Gender distribution for Katori
Katori leans heavily female at 96.3% of total registrations, but 7 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Katori as a male name
- Ranked #10,243 in 2023
- 7 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2023 (7 births)
Katori as a female name
- Ranked #6,028 in 2024
- 20 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (20 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Katori leans strongly female. 146 people counted with this name were female (83.9%), compared with 28 male bearers (16.1%).
Popularity
Katori: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Katori from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 90 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Katori by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Katori during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Katori
The given name Katori has its origins traced back to Japan, where it is believed to have emerged during the Heian period, which spanned from the late 8th to the early 12th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Japanese word "katori," which refers to a type of woven bamboo basket used for ceremonial or religious purposes.
In ancient Japan, the art of basket weaving held significant cultural and spiritual importance. These handcrafted baskets were not only functional but also played a role in various rituals and ceremonies, symbolizing the harmony between nature and human craftsmanship. The name Katori may have been bestowed upon individuals born into families of skilled basket weavers or those associated with ceremonial traditions involving these woven vessels.
Historical records from the Heian period, such as the renowned literary works "The Tale of Genji" and "The Pillow Book," do not explicitly mention individuals bearing the name Katori. However, the name's connection to the sacred art of basket weaving suggests a deep-rooted cultural significance.
One of the earliest notable individuals recorded with the name Katori was Katori Masatsugu, a skilled swordsmith who lived during the Muromachi period (1336-1573). His contributions to the art of sword-making were highly regarded, and his works were sought after by samurai warriors of the time.
Another prominent figure was Katori Shingo (1640-1714), a renowned Buddhist monk and calligrapher during the Edo period. His calligraphic works were celebrated for their elegance and spiritual depth, and he played a significant role in preserving and promoting the art form.
In the realm of literature, Katori Nahiko (1888-1939) was a celebrated Japanese novelist and poet. His works often explored themes of human nature, societal dynamics, and the complexities of modern life. He is considered one of the pioneers of the Japanese literary movement known as "shishosetsu," or the "I-novel" genre.
During the 20th century, Katori Shingo (1924-1996) was a renowned Japanese ceramist and Living National Treasure of Japan. His exquisite ceramic works, inspired by traditional Japanese aesthetics, gained international recognition, and he played a pivotal role in preserving and advancing the art of Japanese pottery.
Katori Hiroko (1934-2021) was a acclaimed Japanese actress and dancer. Her graceful performances on stage and in films, often portraying traditional Japanese characters, earned her numerous accolades and a dedicated following throughout her illustrious career.
While the name Katori may have evolved and diversified over time, its roots remain deeply intertwined with the rich cultural heritage of Japan, particularly the sacred art of basket weaving and the reverence for craftsmanship and spirituality.
People
Katori + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Katori as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Katori: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Katori?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 190 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Katori going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,803,970 US residents.
Is Katori a common name?
We classify Katori as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 191 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Katori most popular?
The single biggest year for Katori was 2023, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Katori is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Katori in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 176 people with the name Katori, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #41,537 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Katori in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Katori?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Katori leans strongly female. 146 people counted with this name were female (83.9%), compared with 28 male bearers (16.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Katori?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Katori is Black at 59.1%. The next largest groups are White (16.5%) and Two or More Races (10.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Katori most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Katori in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.1% (104 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Katori in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Katori a female name?
Yes, 96.3% of people registered as Katori in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Katori still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Katori in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Katori can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Katori?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.