2000
#25,098
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 927
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Araki
Of Japanese origin, indicating someone from the city of Araki.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,078 Americans carry the last name Araki. That puts it at #27,194 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 317,954 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Araki surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 317,954
Census rank
#27,194
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
940
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 940 bearers of the surname Araki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 27194th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Araki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.5%) and White (8.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Araki
The surname Araki is of Japanese origin, originating from the Araki district of Kyoto Prefecture. It is believed to have emerged during the Heian period (794-1185 AD) as a locational surname, referring to those who hailed from the Araki region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Araki surname can be found in the Nijo Gosho-ke Monjo, a collection of historical documents from the Nijo family dating back to the 14th century. In these records, the name appears as 'Araki', indicating its long-standing presence in Japan.
The name Araki is derived from the Old Japanese words 'ara', meaning 'rough' or 'wild', and 'ki', meaning 'tree'. This suggests that the Araki district may have been characterized by rugged or forested terrain, giving rise to the surname's meaning as 'rough trees' or 'wild trees'.
A notable figure bearing the Araki surname was Araki Murashige (1535-1599), a renowned samurai warrior who served under Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Sengoku period. He played a crucial role in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which solidified the Tokugawa shogunate's control over Japan.
Another prominent individual with the Araki surname was Araki Jippensha (1807-1880), a Buddhist monk and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Zen Buddhism. He was influential in reviving the Rinzai school of Zen in Japan during the Edo period.
In the field of arts, Araki Nobuyoshi (born 1940) is a renowned Japanese photographer and filmmaker known for his provocative and often controversial works exploring themes of eroticism and bondage. His unique artistic vision has earned him international acclaim and recognition.
Another notable Araki was Araki Sadao (1877-1962), a Japanese mathematician and educator who made important contributions to the field of geometry. He served as a professor at several prestigious universities, including the University of Tokyo, and played a significant role in advancing mathematical education in Japan.
The Araki surname has also been present in the world of literature, with Araki Yasusada (1714-1783) being a prominent Edo period poet and scholar. His works, particularly in the haiku and waka forms, have been widely studied and appreciated for their depth and artistry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Araki
Among Census respondents with the surname Araki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.5%) and White (8.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Araki bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Araki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander75.2% · 707
- Two or more races11.5% · 108
- White8.1% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 45
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Araki
Araki appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#18,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,469
+542 bearers (+58.5%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Up 6,395 places
2020
#27,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 940
-529 bearers (-36.0%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 8,491 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,098 | 927 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,703 | 1,469 | 0.50 | +542 bearers (+58.5%) | Up 6,395 places |
| 2020 | #27,194 | 940 | 0.31 | -529 bearers (-36.0%) | Down 8,491 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Araki surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #18,703 | #27,194 | -45.4% |
| Count | 1,469 | 940 | -36.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.50 | 0.31 | -37.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Araki bearers went from 1,469 to 940 (-36.0% change). The surname moved down 8,491 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,703 to #27,194.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Araki
FAQ
Araki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Araki?
Name Census estimates that about 1,078 living Americans carry the surname Araki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 317,954 residents.
How common is Araki?
Araki ranks #27,194 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 940 people with the surname Araki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,078), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Araki.
Has Araki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Araki went from 1,469 recorded bearers to 940. That is a decrease of 529 (-36.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,703 to #27,194.
What does the Census say about the background of Araki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Araki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.5%) and White (8.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Araki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (707 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Araki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (75.2%), Two or More Races (11.5%), White (8.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Araki (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Araki mean?
Of Japanese origin, indicating someone from the city of Araki. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Araki (0.31 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Araki?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.