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

Aoki, 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 Aoki surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Aoki in America

Aoki is the 15833rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Aoki surname appeared 1,838 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Aoki.

We can also compare 2010 data for Aoki 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 Aoki

The surname Aoki originates from Japan and is a relatively common name in that country. It is believed to have derived from the Japanese word "aoi," meaning "blue" or "green," and the suffix "ki," which means "tree" or "wood." The earliest recorded appearance of the name Aoki dates back to the 15th century during the Muromachi period.

One of the earliest known records of the name Aoki can be found in the Taiheiki, a historical narrative detailing the events of the Nanbokucho period in Japan (1336-1392). This text mentions an individual named Aoki Moritatsu, who served as a samurai under the Ashikaga shogunate.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Aoki family was a prominent samurai clan based in the Echigo Province (present-day Niigata Prefecture). One notable figure from this period was Aoki Tanehira (1658-1714), a skilled swordsman and martial artist who developed his own style of swordsmanship called "Aoki-ryu."

In the late 19th century, Aoki Shuzo (1844-1914) was a prominent Japanese diplomat and politician who played a crucial role in the negotiations that led to the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for several terms and was instrumental in establishing Japan's position on the international stage.

Another notable individual with the surname Aoki was Aoki Masaru (1887-1964), a Japanese philosopher and educator who was a leading figure in the Kyoto School of Philosophy. His works focused on the integration of Eastern and Western philosophical traditions and had a significant influence on modern Japanese thought.

In the realm of literature, Aoki Tama (1900-1980) was a renowned Japanese novelist and essayist who wrote extensively about the experiences of women in modern Japan. Her works, such as "The Cloth Cap" and "The Bamboo Sword," explored themes of gender, tradition, and social change.

While the surname Aoki is primarily associated with Japan, it has also been adopted by individuals of Japanese descent living in other parts of the world, such as the United States and Brazil, where there are significant Japanese diaspora communities.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Aoki

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

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 Aoki 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 Aoki 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 Aoki was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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