2000
#110,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kadowaki
A locational surname derived from a place name in Japan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 161 Americans carry the last name Kadowaki. That puts it at #127,742 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,128,909 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kadowaki 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
161
1 in 2,128,909
Census rank
#127,742
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
140
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 140 bearers of the surname Kadowaki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 127742nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kadowaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (17.1%) and White (8.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kadowaki
The surname Kadowaki is of Japanese origin, derived from the Japanese words "kado" meaning "gateway" or "angle," and "waki" meaning "side" or "vicinity." It is believed to have originated in the 9th or 10th century during the Heian period, when surnames were first adopted in Japan.
Kadowaki was initially associated with families who lived near gateways or corners of towns or villages. It is likely that the name was first used to identify individuals based on their place of residence or occupation related to guarding gateways or residing in the vicinity of such structures.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Kadowaki surname can be found in the Shōyūki, a historical text from the late Kamakura period (1185-1333). This text references a prominent samurai named Kadowaki Nobuyori, who served under the Hojo clan during the 13th century.
In the 15th century, during the Muromachi period, a Zen Buddhist monk named Kadowaki Zenkō (1398-1473) gained recognition for his teachings and contributions to the development of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism.
Another notable figure with the Kadowaki surname was Kadowaki Munetoshi (1564-1645), a daimyo (feudal lord) who ruled over the Tosa Domain (present-day Kochi Prefecture) during the Edo period.
During the Meiji era (1868-1912), Kadowaki Mokurai (1835-1917) was a respected Buddhist scholar and calligrapher who played a significant role in revitalizing traditional Japanese culture and arts after the country's rapid modernization.
In more recent history, Kadowaki Tatsuhiko (1908-2000) was a renowned Japanese architect known for his innovative designs, including the Tokyo Dome and the Japan National Stadium.
While the Kadowaki surname has its roots in Japan, it has also been adopted by individuals in other parts of the world, particularly in areas with significant Japanese immigrant communities, such as Hawaii and California.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kadowaki
Among Census respondents with the surname Kadowaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (17.1%) and White (8.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Kadowaki 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 Kadowaki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander69.3% · 97
- Two or more races17.1% · 24
- White8.6% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kadowaki
Kadowaki 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
-14 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 16,971 places
2020
#127,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
+6 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 248 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #110,523 | 148 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | -14 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 16,971 places |
| 2020 | #127,742 | 140 | 0.05 | +6 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 248 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 Kadowaki 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 | #127,494 | #127,742 | -0.2% |
| Count | 134 | 140 | 4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kadowaki bearers went from 134 to 140 (+4.5% change). The surname moved down 248 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #127,742.
FAQ
Kadowaki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kadowaki?
Name Census estimates that about 161 living Americans carry the surname Kadowaki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,128,909 residents.
How common is Kadowaki?
Kadowaki ranks #127,742 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 140 people with the surname Kadowaki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (161), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Kadowaki.
Has Kadowaki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kadowaki went from 134 recorded bearers to 140. That is an increase of 6 (+4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #127,742.
What does the Census say about the background of Kadowaki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kadowaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (17.1%) and White (8.6%). 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 Kadowaki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.3% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kadowaki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (69.3%), Two or More Races (17.1%), White (8.6%). 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 Kadowaki (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 Kadowaki mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Japan. 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 Kadowaki (0.05 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 have the last name Kadowaki?
Find out how many people have the last name Kadowaki on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.