Kazuko
A feminine Japanese name meaning "harmony" or "child of harmony".
Name Census estimates that about 27 living Americans carry the first name Kazuko. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kazuko today is around 91 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kazuko births was 1927 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kazuko. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Kazuko is about 91 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Kazukos were born before 1945.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kazuko. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
27
~ 1 in 12,694,605 Americans
Peak year
1927
63 babies that year
Average age
91
years old
1945 SSA rank
#4,902
Tracked since 1915
Census
Kazuko in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,852 people with the first name Kazuko, which placed it at #7,965 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
#7,965
National first-name rank
People counted
1.9K
1,852 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
95.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kazuko
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kazuko is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and White (1.0%). 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 Kazuko 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 Kazuko at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.7% · 1,773
- Two or more races2.3% · 43
- White1.0% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
Popularity
Kazuko: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kazuko from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 214 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kazuko 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 Kazuko during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kazukos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Hawaii, Washington recorded the most babies named Kazuko, while Washington, Hawaii, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 96 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kazuko
The given name Kazuko has its origins rooted in Japanese culture and language. It is a feminine name that dates back several centuries. The name is comprised of two kanji characters: "kazu" meaning "number" or "many," and "ko" meaning "child." Together, the name can be interpreted as meaning "many children" or "plentiful child."
In ancient Japan, the name Kazuko was often bestowed upon daughters born into families with a strong desire for numerous offspring or perhaps as a wish for future fertility and prosperity. The name carried connotations of abundance and blessings.
Historically, the name Kazuko has appeared in various Japanese literary works and records, though its earliest documented use is difficult to pinpoint with precision. One notable reference is found in the 17th century work "Oku no Hosomichi" by the renowned poet Matsuo Bashō, where he mentions a character named Kazuko.
Over the centuries, several notable Japanese women have borne the name Kazuko. One of the earliest was Kazuko Hosokawa (1563-1600), a member of the esteemed Hosokawa clan and the wife of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Another prominent figure was Kazuko Shōda (1868-1948), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in Japan. She established one of the country's first schools for girls and played a significant role in promoting educational opportunities for women during the Meiji era.
In the realm of literature, Kazuko Enoki (1904-1986) was a celebrated novelist and poet. Her works explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition, and she was recognized with numerous literary awards throughout her career.
More recently, Kazuko Fukushima (1930-2019) was a renowned Japanese film actress who appeared in over 150 movies. She was celebrated for her versatility and received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Order of the Rising Sun.
Kazuko Hohki (born 1983) is a contemporary Japanese voice actress known for her work in various anime series and video games. Her notable roles include voicing characters in popular titles such as "Naruto" and "One Piece."
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Kazuko, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of Japan.
People
Kazuko + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kazuko 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
Kazuko: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kazuko?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 27 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kazuko 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 12,694,605 US residents.
Is Kazuko a common name?
We classify Kazuko as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 398 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kazuko most popular?
The single biggest year for Kazuko was 1927, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kazuko is about 91 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kazuko in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,852 people with the name Kazuko, or 0.61 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,965 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 Kazuko 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 Kazuko?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kazuko appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,846 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Kazuko?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kazuko is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and White (1.0%). 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 Kazuko most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Kazuko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (1,773 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 Kazuko in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kazuko a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kazuko 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 Kazuko still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kazuko 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 Kazuko 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 share the name Kazuko?
Find out how many people have the name Kazuko on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.