2000
#61,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 303
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Kamimura
A Japanese surname denoting a residence near a shrine or temple.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 323 Americans carry the last name Kamimura. That puts it at #73,993 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,061,159 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kamimura 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
323
1 in 1,061,159
Census rank
#73,993
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
282
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 282 bearers of the surname Kamimura in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 73993rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamimura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kamimura
The surname Kamimura has its origins in Japan, dating back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the Japanese words "kami" meaning "above" or "upper," and "mura" meaning "village" or "town." This suggests that the name likely originated from a settlement located at a higher elevation or in an upland area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kamimura name can be found in the Edo period (1603-1868) records of the Tokugawa Shogunate. During this time, the Kamimura family was among the samurai class and served as retainers to various daimyo (feudal lords).
In the mid-17th century, a notable figure named Kamimura Hikoemon (1619-1689) was a prominent merchant and financier in Edo (present-day Tokyo). He played a significant role in the economic and financial affairs of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Another historical figure bearing the Kamimura name was Kamimura Ichizaemon (1741-1808), a skilled swordsmith from the Edo period. His works were highly prized and are still considered among the finest examples of Japanese sword craftsmanship.
During the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912), the Kamimura family produced several influential figures, including Kamimura Yahachi (1828-1899), a prominent political activist and advocate for democratic reforms.
In more recent history, Kamimura Kazuo (1907-1986) was a renowned Japanese novelist and literary critic. His works explored themes of societal change and the impact of modernization on traditional Japanese values.
It is worth noting that the Kamimura surname is also associated with various place names throughout Japan, such as Kamimura-cho in Hiroshima Prefecture and Kamimura Village in Gunma Prefecture. These place names likely originated from the same linguistic roots as the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kamimura
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamimura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kamimura 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 Kamimura surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander83.0% · 234
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 18
- Two or more races6.4% · 18
- White3.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kamimura
Kamimura 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
#67,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 290
-13 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 6,088 places
2020
#73,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 282
-8 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 6,050 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #61,855 | 303 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #67,943 | 290 | 0.10 | -13 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 6,088 places |
| 2020 | #73,993 | 282 | 0.09 | -8 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 6,050 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 Kamimura 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 | #67,943 | #73,993 | -8.9% |
| Count | 290 | 282 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.09 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kamimura bearers went from 290 to 282 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 6,050 positions in the national ranking, going from #67,943 to #73,993.
FAQ
Kamimura surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kamimura?
Name Census estimates that about 323 living Americans carry the surname Kamimura. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,061,159 residents.
How common is Kamimura?
Kamimura ranks #73,993 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 282 people with the surname Kamimura. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (323), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Kamimura.
Has Kamimura become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kamimura went from 290 recorded bearers to 282. That is a decrease of 8 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #67,943 to #73,993.
What does the Census say about the background of Kamimura?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kamimura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Kamimura in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (234 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kamimura appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (83.0%), Hispanic (6.4%), Two or More Races (6.4%). 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 Kamimura (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 Kamimura mean?
A Japanese surname denoting a residence near a shrine or temple. 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 Kamimura (0.09 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 common is the surname Kamimura?
If you just want to know how common the surname Kamimura is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.