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

Hirashima, 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 Hirashima surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hirashima in America

Hirashima is the 109258th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hirashima surname appeared 162 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 Hirashima.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hirashima 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 Hirashima

The surname Hirashima originates from Japan and can be traced back to the early 12th century. It is believed to have roots in the Hiroshima region of western Honshu, with the name derived from the combination of the words "hira" meaning flat or level, and "shima" meaning island or peninsula.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hirashima name appears in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) records of the Minamoto clan, a powerful samurai family that ruled over parts of the Hiroshima region. It is speculated that the name was initially given to individuals residing on the flat islands or peninsulas of the Hiroshima coastline.

The Hirashima name gained prominence during the Muromachi period (1336-1573) when a notable Hirashima family rose to prominence as landowners and administrators in the Hiroshima area. This family's influence can be traced through various historical documents and records from that time.

In the late 16th century, a Hirashima samurai named Hirashima Tomonobu (1548-1618) is recorded as having fought alongside the famed warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi during his campaigns to unify Japan. Tomonobu was later granted lands in the Hiroshima region for his loyal service.

Another notable figure in the Hirashima lineage was Hirashima Masayuki (1611-1673), a scholar and poet of the early Edo period. His works, including a collection of haiku poetry, have been preserved and studied by scholars of Japanese literature.

During the Meiji era (1868-1912), the Hirashima name gained further recognition with the birth of Hirashima Isamu (1871-1938), a pioneering engineer who played a crucial role in the development of Japan's early railway infrastructure.

Throughout the centuries, variations of the Hirashima name have emerged, such as Hirashima, Hirashima, and Hirashima, reflecting the different regional dialects and spelling conventions. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, rooted in the geography of the Hiroshima region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hirashima

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

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

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

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