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

Imai, 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 Imai surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Imai in America

Imai is the 23852nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Imai surname appeared 1,059 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 Imai.

We can also compare 2010 data for Imai 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 Imai

The surname IMAI is of Japanese origin and dates back to the late 15th century. The name is believed to have originated from the region of Imai, a former village that is now part of the city of Niigata in the Niigata Prefecture on the island of Honshu. IMAI is thought to derive from the old Japanese words "ima" meaning "now" and "i" meaning "family residence", suggesting that the name refers to a family that had recently settled in the area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name IMAI can be found in the Kamakura Ibun, a collection of historical documents from the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE). The text mentions an individual named Imai Kiyosada, a samurai warrior who served under the Hojo clan during the late 13th century. Another early reference is found in the Azuma Kagami, a historical record of the Kamakura shogunate, which documents the exploits of Imai Kanetsuna, a military commander who fought in the Nambokucho War (1336-1392 CE).

During the Sengoku period (1467-1615 CE), the IMAI name gained prominence with the rise of Imai Nobunao (1515-1579), a powerful daimyo (feudal lord) who controlled territories in the Ise Province (present-day Mie Prefecture). Nobunao was a skilled military strategist and played a significant role in the unification of Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate.

In the Edo period (1603-1868 CE), the IMAI surname was associated with several notable figures, including Imai Kinshiro (1641-1705), a renowned poet and scholar who contributed to the development of the haiku form. Additionally, Imai Kushiko (1766-1837) was a revered artist and calligrapher who served as a court painter for the Tokugawa shogunate.

One of the most famous individuals with the IMAI surname is Imai Nobuo (1907-1988), a pioneering aviator who became the first Japanese person to fly non-stop across the Pacific Ocean in 1937. His historic flight from Japan to the United States helped pave the way for transoceanic aviation and earned him international recognition.

Throughout its history, the IMAI surname has been associated with various place names and older spellings, such as Imai-mura (village of Imai), Imai-han (domain of Imai), and Imaiji (an archaic variation). While the name has evolved over time, its origins can be traced back to the region of Imai in present-day Niigata Prefecture, where it first emerged as a prominent surname in the late medieval period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Imai

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

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

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

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