2000
#10,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,751
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Inouye
A Japanese surname meaning "above the well," referring to someone who lived near a well or water source.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,916 Americans carry the last name Inouye. That puts it at #11,782 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,543 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Inouye surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,543
Census rank
#11,782
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,543 bearers of the surname Inouye in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11782nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Inouye, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.7%) and White (9.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Inouye
The surname Inouye has its origins in Japan, where it first emerged during the feudal period of the country's history, sometime between the 12th and 19th centuries. The name is believed to be derived from the Japanese words "ino" meaning "rice paddy" and "uye" meaning "above" or "upper," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a family or individual living in an area situated above or near rice paddies.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Inouye surname can be found in the historical records of the Edo period (1603-1867), which document a prominent samurai family bearing the name. This family was known for their loyalty and service to the Tokugawa Shogunate, the last feudal military government of Japan.
During the Meiji era (1868-1912), when Japan underwent rapid modernization and westernization, several notable figures with the Inouye surname emerged. One such individual was Inouye Kaoru (1836-1915), a statesman and diplomat who played a crucial role in the establishment of Japan's modern political system and served as the first Japanese ambassador to the United States.
In the 20th century, the Inouye name gained international recognition through the achievements of Daniel Inouye (1924-2012), a highly decorated World War II veteran and long-serving United States Senator from Hawaii. Inouye, who was of Japanese descent, was a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor and was widely respected for his advocacy of civil rights and his unwavering commitment to public service.
Another prominent individual with the Inouye surname was Inouye Junichi (1888-1975), a pioneering Japanese photographer and filmmaker who is widely regarded as one of the founders of Japanese documentary cinema. His works, which captured the daily lives and traditions of rural Japan, are considered important historical and cultural artifacts.
In the realm of Japanese literature, the name Inouye is associated with Inouye Yasushi (1935-2012), a renowned novelist and essayist whose works explored themes of identity, memory, and the complexities of modern Japanese society. His novels, such as "The Remembrance of Things Past" and "Narrative of a Blow," earned him critical acclaim both domestically and internationally.
While the Inouye surname is most commonly found in Japan, it has also been carried to other parts of the world through immigration and diaspora communities. Regardless of its geographic location, the name Inouye continues to hold significance as a testament to the rich cultural heritage and history of Japan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Inouye
Among Census respondents with the surname Inouye, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.7%) and White (9.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Inouye bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Inouye surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander69.2% · 1,761
- Two or more races14.7% · 373
- White9.1% · 231
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 168
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Inouye
Inouye appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,647
-104 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 1,149 places
2020
#11,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,543
-104 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,672 | 2,751 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,821 | 2,647 | 0.90 | -104 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 1,149 places |
| 2020 | #11,782 | 2,543 | 0.85 | -104 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 39 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Inouye surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,821 | #11,782 | 0.3% |
| Count | 2,647 | 2,543 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.85 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Inouye bearers went from 2,647 to 2,543 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,821 to #11,782.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Inouye
FAQ
Inouye surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Inouye?
Name Census estimates that about 2,916 living Americans carry the surname Inouye. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,543 residents.
How common is Inouye?
Inouye ranks #11,782 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,543 people with the surname Inouye. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,916), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Inouye.
Has Inouye become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Inouye went from 2,647 recorded bearers to 2,543. That is a decrease of 104 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,821 to #11,782.
What does the Census say about the background of Inouye?
Among Census respondents with the surname Inouye, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.7%) and White (9.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Inouye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.2% (1,761 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Inouye appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (69.2%), Two or More Races (14.7%), White (9.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Inouye (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Inouye mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "above the well," referring to someone who lived near a well or water source. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Inouye (0.85 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Inouye?
You can see how many people are called Inouye on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.