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

Ito, 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 Ito surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ito in America

Ito is the 7644th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ito surname appeared 4,344 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 Ito.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ito 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 Ito

The surname Ito has its origins in Japan, dating back to the early medieval period around the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Japanese word "ito," which means "thread" or "string." This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with professions involving textile work, such as weaving or sewing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ito surname can be found in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), when it was recorded in official records and documents. During this time, the Ito family was prominent in the Kanto region of central Japan, particularly in the area around modern-day Tokyo.

In the late 16th century, a notable figure named Ito Yoshisuke (1543-1611) emerged as a prominent daimyo (feudal lord) and samurai commander. He played a significant role in the Sengoku period, supporting Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Another historical figure with the Ito surname was Ito Hirobumi (1841-1909), a statesman and politician who served as the first Prime Minister of Japan from 1885 to 1888. He played a crucial role in the Meiji Restoration and the modernization of Japan.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Ito name was associated with the Ito clan, a prominent samurai family that served as vassals of the Tokugawa shogunate. They held important positions and territories in various regions of Japan.

In more recent times, Ito Shinsui (1898-1972) was a renowned Japanese painter and printmaker, known for his landscape paintings and woodblock prints. His works often depicted traditional Japanese scenes and landscapes.

Ito Masami (1920-2010) was a Japanese mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of algebraic geometry. He is best known for his work on the Ito Conjecture, which he proposed in 1976 and was later proven by Gerd Faltings in 1983.

Throughout its history, the Ito surname has been found in various parts of Japan, particularly in the Kanto and Tohoku regions. It has also been associated with place names such as Ito City in Shizuoka Prefecture and Ito District in Wakayama Prefecture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ito

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

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

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

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