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

Iwami, 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 Iwami surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Iwami in America

Iwami is the 138304th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Iwami surname appeared 121 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Iwami.

We can also compare 2010 data for Iwami 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 Iwami

The surname IWAMI is of Japanese origin and can be traced back to the late 8th century AD. The name is derived from the Iwami Province, a historical province located in the present-day Shimane Prefecture on the southwest coast of Honshu, Japan's main island.

IWAMI is believed to be derived from the ancient Japanese words "iwa" meaning "rock" and "mi" meaning "beautiful" or "scenic." This suggests that the name may have originated from the region's picturesque rocky landscapes or cliffs along the coastline.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the IWAMI surname can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an imperial chronicle compiled in 797 AD. The chronicle mentions an individual named Iwami no Sukune, who served as a provincial governor during the late Nara period (710-794 AD).

In the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD), there are records of a prominent samurai family from the Iwami Province bearing the IWAMI surname. One notable member was Iwami Katsumoto (1230-1301), a skilled archer and military commander who fought in the Mongol invasions of Japan.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573 AD), the IWAMI surname gained further recognition when Iwami Masanori (1474-1546) served as a retainer and trusted advisor to the powerful Ouchi clan, who ruled over the Suō Province (present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture).

Another historical figure with the IWAMI surname was Iwami Ginpachi (1620-1688), a skilled swordsmith from the Iwami Province who was renowned for his craftsmanship during the Edo period (1603-1868).

In the late 19th century, Iwami Taro (1855-1923) gained prominence as a pioneering geologist and mineralogist who made significant contributions to the study of Japan's mineral resources and geology.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Iwami

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

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

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

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