Masaaki
A masculine Japanese name meaning righteous and bright or prosperous force.
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Masaaki. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Masaaki today is around 86 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Masaaki births was 1934 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Masaaki. 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 Masaaki is about 86 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Masaakis were born before 1950.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Masaaki. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1934
7 babies that year
Average age
86
years old
1934 SSA rank
#3,183
Tracked since 1912
Census
Masaaki in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 264 people with the first name Masaaki, which placed it at #32,084 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
#32,084
National first-name rank
People counted
264
264 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
95.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Masaaki
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Masaaki is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.1%) and Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Masaaki 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 Masaaki at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.5% · 252
- Black or African American1.1% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 3
- White0.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.8% · 2
Popularity
Masaaki: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Masaaki from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 33 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
Masaaki 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 Masaaki during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Masaakis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Masaaki
The name Masaaki is a Japanese masculine given name with origins dating back to the Heian period (794-1185 CE) in Japan. The name is composed of two kanji characters: "masa" meaning "true" or "righteous," and "aki" meaning "bright" or "radiant." Together, the name can be interpreted to mean "true brightness" or "righteous brilliance."
The earliest recorded use of the name Masaaki can be traced back to the 11th century CE, during the late Heian period. Historical records from this time mention several samurai warriors and nobility bearing the name Masaaki. One notable figure was Masaaki Fujiwara, a high-ranking court nobleman who served as a provincial governor in the late 11th century.
In the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE), the name Masaaki gained popularity among the warrior class of samurai. Several prominent samurai lords and military commanders carried this name, including Masaaki Ashikaga, a powerful daimyo (feudal lord) who played a significant role in the Nambokucho War (1336-1392 CE).
During the Edo period (1603-1868 CE), the name Masaaki continued to be used by samurai families and the nobility. One notable figure from this time was Masaaki Hoshina, a renowned daimyo who ruled the Aizu domain in northern Japan during the late 18th century.
In more recent history, several influential Japanese figures have borne the name Masaaki. Masaaki Hatsumi (born 1942) is a renowned martial artist and the founder of the Bujinkan organization, which teaches traditional Japanese ninjutsu and budo. Masaaki Imai (1936-2010) was a prominent businessman and author, best known for his work on the Kaizen management philosophy.
Other notable individuals named Masaaki include Masaaki Tsuchida (1938-2018), a renowned Japanese actor known for his roles in films and television dramas, and Masaaki Suzuki (born 1954), a celebrated conductor and founder of the Bach Collegium Japan ensemble.
While the name Masaaki has its roots in ancient Japan, it has continued to be used throughout the centuries, carried by individuals from various walks of life, including samurai warriors, nobility, artists, businessmen, and cultural figures, contributing to the rich tapestry of Japanese history and culture.
People
Masaaki + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Masaaki as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Masaaki: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Masaaki?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Masaaki 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Masaaki a common name?
We classify Masaaki as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 60 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Masaaki most popular?
The single biggest year for Masaaki was 1934, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Masaaki is about 86 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Masaaki in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 264 people with the name Masaaki, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,084 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 Masaaki 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 Masaaki?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Masaaki appears almost entirely male. Of the 262 people counted with this name, 99.6% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Masaaki?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Masaaki is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.1%) and Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Masaaki most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Masaaki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (252 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 Masaaki in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Masaaki a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Masaaki in the SSA data are male. 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 Masaaki still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Masaaki 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 Masaaki 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 common is the name Masaaki?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Masaaki on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.