Find out how popular the last name Akita is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Akita.

Akita, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Akita surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Akita in America

Akita is the 66164th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Akita surname appeared 299 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Akita.

We can also compare 2010 data for Akita to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Akita

The surname AKITA has its origins in Japan, dating back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the name of the Akita region, situated in the northern part of the country. The region's name can be traced back to the ancient Japanese word "akita", which translates to "autumn village" or "autumnal rice paddy".

One of the earliest known records of the AKITA surname can be found in the Edo Period (1603-1868) family registers, where it was associated with samurai families and landowners from the Akita region. During this time, the area was known for its production of high-quality rice and sake, and the AKITA name became closely tied to these industries.

In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the AKITA surname was Akita Nobuyuki (1730-1798), a prominent scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of Confucianism and Shinto. His works were widely influential in shaping the intellectual discourse of the time.

Another historical figure of note was Akita Masahiro (1839-1897), a samurai and military leader who played a pivotal role in the Boshin War, a conflict that marked the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the establishment of the Meiji government.

During the Meiji Period (1868-1912), the AKITA surname became more widely dispersed across Japan as people migrated from the Akita region in search of employment and economic opportunities. One notable figure from this era was Akita Masami (1872-1935), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's education.

In the early 20th century, Akita Uzao (1898-1954) gained recognition as a celebrated novelist and poet, known for his poignant depictions of rural life and the struggles of the working class. His works were deeply influenced by his upbringing in the Akita region.

Another prominent individual with the AKITA surname was Akita Masami (1920-2008), a distinguished lawyer and human rights activist who played a crucial role in shaping Japan's legal system and advocating for civil liberties in the post-World War II era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Akita

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Akita.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Akita was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Akita has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Akita was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Akita, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!