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

Iwata, 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 Iwata surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Iwata in America

Iwata is the 27918th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Iwata surname appeared 859 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 Iwata.

We can also compare 2010 data for Iwata 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 Iwata

The surname Iwata is of Japanese origin, deriving from the words "iwa" meaning "rock" and "ta" meaning "rice paddy." It is believed to have originated around the 8th century in the Kinki region of Japan, where many early bearers of the name were rice farmers who worked in paddy fields near rocky areas or hillsides.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Iwata can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an 8th-century imperial chronicle that mentions an individual named Iwata no Sukemaro, who served as a provincial governor during the Nara period (710-794).

In the 12th century, the Iwata family established itself as a prominent samurai clan in the Iga region of present-day Mie Prefecture. The clan played a significant role in the Gempei War (1180-1185), a conflict between the Minamoto and Taira clans for control of the imperial court.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), several Iwata individuals gained recognition for their contributions to various fields. Iwata Masami (1619-1685) was a renowned calligrapher and poet, while Iwata Nankoku (1677-1737) was a celebrated painter and artist.

One of the most famous individuals with the Iwata surname was Iwata Tomohiko (1836-1903), a political philosopher and educator who played a crucial role in the Meiji Restoration and the modernization of Japan's education system.

Other notable individuals with the Iwata surname include Iwata Yukio (1904-1963), a pioneering aviator and aircraft designer, and Iwata Hiroshi (1927-2017), a renowned ceramist and Living National Treasure of Japan.

While the Iwata surname has its roots in Japan, it has spread globally due to migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the early rice farming communities of the Kinki region, where the name's connection to the natural landscape of rocks and rice paddies first took shape.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Iwata

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!