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

Ishii, 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 Ishii surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ishii in America

Ishii is the 15606th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ishii surname appeared 1,873 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 Ishii.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ishii 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 Ishii

The surname Ishii has its origins in Japan, dating back to the early 8th century during the Nara period. It is derived from the Japanese words "ishi" meaning stone and "i" meaning well or spring, suggesting a connection to a location near a stone well or spring.

One of the earliest known references to the name Ishii can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an early 8th-century Japanese chronicle. This document mentions an individual named Ishii no Sukemaro, a government official who served during the reign of Emperor Shomu.

During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the Ishii family held significant influence and power in the Kanto region of Japan. The Ishii clan was known for their military prowess and played a crucial role in various conflicts during this era.

In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Ishii Naoshige (1290-1367) emerged as a skilled warrior and strategist. He was a loyal retainer of the Kamakura shogunate and participated in several battles against the rising powers of the time.

The Ishii name has also been associated with notable scholars and artists throughout Japanese history. One such individual was Ishii Masaaki (1592-1667), a renowned calligrapher and poet who lived during the Edo period.

Another noteworthy individual bearing the Ishii surname was Ishii Kikuchi (1661-1705), a celebrated Haiku poet and writer who contributed significantly to the development of Japanese literature during the Genroku era.

In the 19th century, Ishii Baian (1809-1870) was a prominent Buddhist monk and scholar who played a crucial role in the revival of Zen Buddhism in Japan. His teachings and writings had a profound impact on the spiritual and intellectual landscape of the time.

Throughout its long history, the Ishii surname has been closely associated with various regions and place names within Japan, particularly in the Kanto and Chubu regions. Some of these place names include Ishii-mura (Ishii village) and Ishii-cho (Ishii town), which further reinforce the connection between the name and its geographical origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ishii

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!