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

Iwasaki, 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 Iwasaki surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Iwasaki in America

Iwasaki is the 26008th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Iwasaki surname appeared 943 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 Iwasaki.

We can also compare 2010 data for Iwasaki 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 Iwasaki

The surname Iwasaki has its origins in Japan, dating back several centuries. It is believed to have derived from the Japanese words "iwa" meaning rock or crag, and "saki" meaning cape or promontory. This suggests that the name originated from a place name, likely referring to a rocky coastal area or peninsula.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Iwasaki name can be found in the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE) records from the Kanagawa Prefecture region of Japan. During this time, the name was spelled using the kanji characters 岩崎, which directly translate to "rock promontory."

In the 15th century, an Iwasaki family is documented as having resided in the Chiba Prefecture, near present-day Tokyo. This family was involved in the silk trade and held a respected position in the local community.

The Iwasaki name gained further prominence in the 19th century with Yataro Iwasaki (1835-1885), the founder of the Mitsubishi corporation. He was born in Tosa Province (now Kochi Prefecture) and initially worked as a shipping clerk before establishing his own trading company, which eventually became the Mitsubishi conglomerate.

Another notable figure with the Iwasaki surname was Koyata Iwasaki (1836-1916), a businessman and politician from Yamaguchi Prefecture. He served as the governor of Tokyo Prefecture and played a significant role in the modernization of Japan during the Meiji period.

In the realm of art, Toshio Iwasaki (1914-2000) was a renowned Japanese sculptor known for his abstract works made from bronze and stone. He was designated as a Living National Treasure by the Japanese government in recognition of his contributions to the preservation of traditional sculpting techniques.

Lastly, Hiroyuki Iwasaki (1919-2005) was a Japanese businessman and the sixth president of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. He led the company through a period of significant growth and expansion, contributing to its success in the global market.

While the Iwasaki name has its roots in Japan, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the rocky coastal regions of Japan, where it likely originated as a place name before becoming a family surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Iwasaki

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

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

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

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