2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Arimoto
A Japanese surname possibly alluding to a location or noble heritage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Arimoto. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Arimoto 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Arimoto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Arimoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.5%) and Two or More Races (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Arimoto
The surname Arimoto originates from Japan, where it emerged during the Kamakura period of the 12th to 14th centuries. It is derived from the Japanese words "ari," meaning "there is," and "moto," meaning "origin" or "source." In its earliest form, the name was likely written using kanji characters, although the specific characters used may have varied.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Arimoto name can be found in the Azuma Kagami, a chronicle of the Kamakura shogunate compiled in the 14th century. This historical text mentions an individual named Arimoto no Yasutsuna, a samurai who served under the Kamakura shogun in the late 13th century.
The Arimoto name was particularly prevalent in the Kanto region of Japan, which includes the modern-day prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi. Some records suggest that the name may have originated in the area around present-day Saitama Prefecture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Arimoto surname. One of the earliest was Arimoto Masahiro (1541-1618), a samurai and daimyo (feudal lord) who served under the powerful Tokugawa clan during the Sengoku period.
In the Edo period (1603-1868), Arimoto Tsuneharu (1655-1718) was a prominent mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of calendars and celestial mechanics.
During the Meiji era (1868-1912), Arimoto Kyosuke (1844-1917) was a renowned educator and calligrapher who played a key role in establishing modern education systems in Japan.
In more recent times, Arimoto Hiroshi (1923-2015) was a celebrated Japanese novelist and playwright who explored themes of existentialism and the human condition in his works.
Another notable figure was Arimoto Masao (1923-2010), a renowned architect who designed several iconic buildings in Tokyo and other cities, including the Kyoto International Conference Center.
While the Arimoto surname has ancient roots in Japan, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration and other historical movements. However, its origins and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the medieval period in the Kanto region of Japan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Arimoto
Among Census respondents with the surname Arimoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.5%) and Two or More Races (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Arimoto 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 Arimoto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander81.6% · 93
- White10.5% · 12
- Two or more races7.9% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Arimoto
Arimoto 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,981 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 11,981 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 7,274 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 Arimoto 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 | #153,769 | #146,495 | 4.7% |
| Count | 106 | 114 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Arimoto bearers went from 106 to 114 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 7,274 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #146,495.
FAQ
Arimoto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Arimoto?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Arimoto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Arimoto?
Arimoto ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Arimoto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Arimoto.
Has Arimoto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Arimoto went from 106 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 8 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Arimoto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Arimoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.5%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). 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 Arimoto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Arimoto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (81.6%), White (10.5%), Two or More Races (7.9%). 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 Arimoto (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 Arimoto mean?
A Japanese surname possibly alluding to a location or noble heritage. 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 Arimoto (0.04 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 are called Arimoto?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Arimoto, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.