2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Iwami
A Japanese surname possibly derived from the namesake region on the Sea of Japan coast.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 144 Americans carry the last name Iwami. That puts it at #137,553 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,380,238 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Iwami 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
144
1 in 2,380,238
Census rank
#137,553
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
126
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 126 bearers of the surname Iwami in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 137553rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Iwami, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.9%) and White (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Iwami
Among Census respondents with the surname Iwami, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.9%) and White (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Iwami 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 Iwami surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander77.0% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino11.9% · 15
- White6.3% · 8
- Two or more races4.8% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Iwami
Iwami 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,665 places
2020
#137,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+5 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 751 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 12,665 places |
| 2020 | #137,553 | 126 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.1%) | Up 751 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 Iwami 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 | #138,304 | #137,553 | 0.5% |
| Count | 121 | 126 | 4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Iwami bearers went from 121 to 126 (+4.1% change). The surname moved up 751 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #137,553.
FAQ
Iwami surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Iwami?
Name Census estimates that about 144 living Americans carry the surname Iwami. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,380,238 residents.
How common is Iwami?
Iwami ranks #137,553 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 126 people with the surname Iwami. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (144), 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 Iwami.
Has Iwami become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Iwami went from 121 recorded bearers to 126. That is an increase of 5 (+4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #138,304 to #137,553.
What does the Census say about the background of Iwami?
Among Census respondents with the surname Iwami, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.9%) and White (6.3%). 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 Iwami in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Iwami appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (77.0%), Hispanic (11.9%), White (6.3%). 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 Iwami (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 Iwami mean?
A Japanese surname possibly derived from the namesake region on the Sea of Japan coast. 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 Iwami (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 people are called Iwami?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Iwami is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.