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

Hayakawa, 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 Hayakawa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hayakawa in America

Hayakawa is the 43206th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hayakawa surname appeared 500 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 Hayakawa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hayakawa 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 Hayakawa

The surname Hayakawa is of Japanese origin, originating from the island nation that makes up the Japanese archipelago in East Asia. It can be traced back several centuries to the feudal period of Japan's history.

Hayakawa is believed to be derived from the Japanese words "haya" meaning "fast" or "rapid", and "kawa" meaning "river". This points to the name potentially originating from a geographical location near a swiftly flowing river or stream. Slight variations in spelling over time included Hayagawa and Hayakaha.

Early records indicate the Hayakawa name appeared in manuscripts and ledgers dating back to the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE) in Japan. However, no specific historical figures of great renown bore this surname from such ancient times.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the Hayakawa name was Hayakawa Senkyo (1554-1619), a Buddhist monk and poet who lived during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. His writings and compositions influenced subsequent generations of artists and writers.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), Hayakawa Kodayū (1642-1693) was a renowned artist and painter who specialized in depictions of birds and flowers. His work is preserved in several museums across Japan.

In more modern times, Hayakawa Sesshu (1889-1935) was a Japanese novelist and literary critic active in the early 20th century Taisho period. He is considered one of the pioneers of modern Japanese literature.

Internationally, the most famous bearer of the Hayakawa name was S.I. Hayakawa (1906-1992), a Canadian-American academic and political figure. He served as a United States Senator from California and was also a renowned semanticist and professor of English language.

Another notable Hayakawa was Sessue Hayakawa (1889-1973), an acclaimed Japanese-American actor who starred in many Hollywood films during the early 20th century, helping to pioneer roles for Asian actors in American cinema.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hayakawa

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

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

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

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