2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ishizu
A Japanese surname meaning "stone" or "rock fountain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Ishizu. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ishizu 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Ishizu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ishizu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.5%) and White (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ishizu
The surname "ISHIZU" originates from Japan, tracing its roots back to the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE). It is believed to have derived from the Japanese words "ishi" meaning "stone" and "zu" meaning "figure" or "image," possibly referring to a stone carving or sculpture.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the "Azuma Kagami" (Mirror of the East), a historical chronicle compiled in the late 13th century. It mentions an individual named Ishizu no Yukinobu, who served as a samurai during the Kamakura shogunate.
In the 15th century, during the Muromachi period (1336-1573 CE), there are records of an Ishizu family residing in the Ise Province (present-day Mie Prefecture). The name appears in various local documents and land registers from that time.
Notable individuals with the surname Ishizu include:
1. Ishizu Hirosuke (1600-1673), a renowned painter and calligrapher during the Edo period.
2. Ishizu Masami (1723-1802), a scholar and poet who served as a court advisor during the Tokugawa shogunate.
3. Ishizu Yoshiaki (1865-1941), a prominent businessman and industrialist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
4. Ishizu Noriko (1892-1974), a feminist activist and educator who advocated for women's rights and educational reforms.
5. Ishizu Toshihiro (1920-2005), a celebrated author and literary critic, known for his works exploring Japanese culture and traditions.
The name has also been associated with various place names throughout Japan, such as Ishizu-cho (Ishizu Town) in Kagawa Prefecture and Ishizu-mura (Ishizu Village) in Shizuoka Prefecture. These place names likely originated from the surname itself or vice versa, reflecting the family's ties to those regions.
While the surname Ishizu is not among the most common in Japan, it has a rich historical lineage spanning several centuries, with notable bearers contributing to various fields, including art, literature, business, and social reform.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ishizu
Among Census respondents with the surname Ishizu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.5%) and White (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ishizu 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 Ishizu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander76.6% · 85
- Two or more races13.5% · 15
- White5.4% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ishizu
Ishizu 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-11 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 21,896 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+10 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,047 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 21,896 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 11,047 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 Ishizu 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 | #159,712 | #148,665 | 6.9% |
| Count | 101 | 111 | 9.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 23.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ishizu bearers went from 101 to 111 (+9.9% change). The surname moved up 11,047 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #148,665.
FAQ
Ishizu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ishizu?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Ishizu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Ishizu?
Ishizu ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 111 people with the surname Ishizu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ishizu.
Has Ishizu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ishizu went from 101 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 10 (+9.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Ishizu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ishizu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.5%) and White (5.4%). 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 Ishizu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ishizu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (76.6%), Two or More Races (13.5%), White (5.4%). 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 Ishizu (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 Ishizu mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "stone" or "rock fountain." 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 Ishizu (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Ishizu?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.