Yoshiro
A masculine Japanese name meaning "righteous son".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Yoshiro. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Yoshiro today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Yoshiro births was 1921 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Yoshiro. 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 Yoshiro is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Yoshiros were born before 1959.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Yoshiro. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1921
6 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1929 SSA rank
#4,542
Tracked since 1921
Census
Yoshiro in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 99 people with the first name Yoshiro, which placed it at #53,419 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
#53,419
National first-name rank
People counted
99
99 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
73.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yoshiro
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Yoshiro is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.2%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Yoshiro 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 Yoshiro at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander73.7% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino18.2% · 18
- Two or more races6.1% · 6
- White1.0% · 1
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Popularity
Yoshiro: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Yoshiro 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 Yoshiro during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 27 | 0 | 27 |
Geography
Where Yoshiros live
Origin
Meaning and history of Yoshiro
The given name Yoshiro is of Japanese origin and has been in use for several centuries. It is a masculine name derived from the combination of two Japanese words, "yo" meaning "good" or "prosperous," and "shiro" meaning "castle" or "fortress." Together, the name Yoshiro can be interpreted as "good castle" or "prosperous fortress."
The earliest recorded use of the name Yoshiro dates back to the Heian period (794-1185 AD) in Japan. During this time, the name appeared in various literary works and historical records, often associated with members of the noble and samurai classes. It is believed that the name was initially given to individuals who were born or lived in fortified castles or strongholds, reflecting the aspiration for their prosperity and strength.
Throughout Japanese history, several notable figures have borne the name Yoshiro. One of the earliest was Yoshiro Minamoto (1141-1180), a member of the influential Minamoto clan and a prominent samurai during the Genpei War between the Minamoto and Taira clans. Another historical figure was Yoshiro Tanaka (1835-1912), a renowned educator and founder of one of Japan's first modern schools, the Tanaka Academy.
In the Edo period (1603-1868), Yoshiro Matsudaira (1611-1675) was a prominent daimyo (feudal lord) who ruled over the Fukui Domain in present-day Fukui Prefecture. He was known for his skilled leadership and contributions to the development of his domain. During the Meiji Restoration (1868), Yoshiro Ōkubo (1833-1878) was a prominent statesman and one of the three great nobles who played a crucial role in the overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the establishment of the new imperial government.
In more recent times, Yoshiro Mori (born 1937) was a influential Japanese politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 2000 to 2001. He was known for his efforts to revive the Japanese economy and strengthen international relations.
The name Yoshiro has maintained its popularity in Japan throughout the centuries, reflecting the cultural significance and historical prominence associated with this name. Its meaning and connotations of prosperity, strength, and nobility have contributed to its enduring appeal as a masculine given name in Japanese society.
People
Yoshiro + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Yoshiro as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with Y
Other first names starting with Y with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Yoshiro: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Yoshiro?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Yoshiro 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Yoshiro a common name?
We classify Yoshiro as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Yoshiro most popular?
The single biggest year for Yoshiro was 1921, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Yoshiro is about 77 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Yoshiro in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 99 people with the name Yoshiro, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #53,419 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 Yoshiro 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 Yoshiro?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Yoshiro leans strongly male. 103 people counted with this name were male (96.3%), compared with 4 female bearers (3.7%). 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 Yoshiro?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Yoshiro is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (18.2%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Yoshiro most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Yoshiro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (73 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 Yoshiro in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Yoshiro a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Yoshiro 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 Yoshiro still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Yoshiro 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 Yoshiro 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 Yoshiro?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Yoshiro on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.