2000
#6,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,417
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Ito
A Japanese surname meaning "this wisteria" or referring to someone who lived near a wisteria tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,910 Americans carry the last name Ito. That puts it at #7,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,807 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ito 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
4.9K
1 in 69,807
Census rank
#7,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,282 bearers of the surname Ito in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ito, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and White (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ito
Among Census respondents with the surname Ito, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and White (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ito 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 Ito surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander79.3% · 3,395
- Two or more races8.6% · 370
- White6.8% · 293
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 197
- Black or African American0.6% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ito
Ito 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
#7,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,344
-73 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 646 places
2020
#7,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,282
-62 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Up 149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,998 | 4,417 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,644 | 4,344 | 1.47 | -73 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 646 places |
| 2020 | #7,495 | 4,282 | 1.43 | -62 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 149 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 Ito 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 | #7,644 | #7,495 | 1.9% |
| Count | 4,344 | 4,282 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.43 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ito bearers went from 4,344 to 4,282 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 149 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,644 to #7,495.
FAQ
Ito surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ito?
Name Census estimates that about 4,910 living Americans carry the surname Ito. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,807 residents.
How common is Ito?
Ito ranks #7,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.43 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 4,282 people with the surname Ito. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,910), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.43 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 Ito.
Has Ito become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ito went from 4,344 recorded bearers to 4,282. That is a decrease of 62 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,644 to #7,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Ito?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ito, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.6%) and White (6.8%). 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 Ito in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (3,395 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ito appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (79.3%), Two or More Races (8.6%), White (6.8%). 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 Ito (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 Ito mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "this wisteria" or referring to someone who lived near a wisteria tree. 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 Ito (1.43 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 Ito?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.