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

Fukushima, 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 Fukushima surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fukushima in America

Fukushima is the 23432nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fukushima surname appeared 1,085 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 Fukushima.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fukushima 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 Fukushima

The surname Fukushima is of Japanese origin, and it first appeared in the late 16th century during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. It is derived from the place name Fukushima, which refers to a region located in the northeastern part of Japan's main island of Honshu. The name literally means "fortunate island" or "island of good fortune," with "fuku" meaning luck or fortune, and "shima" meaning island.

The Fukushima area has a long history dating back to ancient times. It was mentioned in the Nihon Shoki, one of the oldest chronicles of Japan, which was completed in 720 AD. The region was known for its strategic location and played a significant role in various historical events and conflicts throughout the centuries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fukushima surname can be found in the Buke Kaden, a collection of biographies of notable samurai families compiled in the 17th century. The text mentions Fukushima Masanori, a samurai who served under the Tokugawa shogunate in the early 17th century.

Another notable figure with the Fukushima surname was Fukushima Masanao (1561-1624), a powerful daimyo (feudal lord) who controlled a significant portion of the Fukushima region during the Sengoku period. He was known for his military prowess and played a crucial role in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which marked the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate.

In the 18th century, Fukushima Akira (1694-1770) was a renowned scholar and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of wasan (Japanese mathematics). He developed new methods for solving equations and contributed to the advancement of mathematical knowledge in Japan.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Fukushima clan was one of the fudai daimyo families, which were hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa shogunate. The Fukushima Domain, centered around the town of Fukushima (now the city of Fukushima), was ruled by various lords from the Fukushima family.

In more recent times, Fukushima Yukio (1935-1997) was a prominent Japanese politician who served as the Minister of Education, Science, and Culture, as well as the Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy in the late 20th century.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the Fukushima surname throughout history. While the name is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and tradition, it has also gained global recognition due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, which brought international attention to the Fukushima region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fukushima

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

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

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

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