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

Hayashi, 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 Hayashi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hayashi in America

Hayashi is the 10683rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hayashi surname appeared 2,992 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 Hayashi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hayashi 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 Hayashi

The surname Hayashi originates from Japan and can be traced back to the late 7th century AD. It is derived from the Japanese words "haya" meaning "quick" or "early" and "shi" meaning a person or specialist. Thus, the name Hayashi may have originally referred to someone who was skilled at something and did it quickly or at an early stage.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Hayashi appear in the Shoku Nihongi, an early Japanese chronicle completed in 797 AD. This text mentions several individuals with the name, though it is unclear if they were relatives or from different lineages that adopted the same surname.

During the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD), the Hayashi family emerged as a prominent samurai clan based in the Izu Province, located southwest of what is now Tokyo. Several members of this clan served as loyal retainers to the Minamoto shogunate.

One notable figure was Hayashi Nobukatsu (1512-1579), a skilled swordsman and military strategist who fought for the Imagawa clan during the Sengoku period. He is remembered for his victory at the Battle of Teraga-Dera in 1558.

In the Edo period (1603-1868), the Hayashi family produced several renowned Confucian scholars who served as advisors to the Tokugawa shogunate. Hayashi Razan (1583-1657) was a prominent philosopher who helped establish the official Neo-Confucian doctrine of the Tokugawa regime.

Another influential figure was Hayashi Dōshun (1657-1730), a scholar and astronomer who made significant contributions to the Japanese calendar system and wrote extensively on Confucian ethics and astronomy.

During the Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century, Hayashi Tadasu (1850-1913) was a prominent statesman who served as the first Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and played a key role in drafting the Meiji Constitution.

While the surname Hayashi originated in Japan, its use has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its roots can be firmly traced back to its Japanese origins and the influential individuals who have borne this name throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hayashi

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

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

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

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