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

Kamiya, 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 Kamiya surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kamiya in America

Kamiya is the 43077th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kamiya surname appeared 502 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 Kamiya.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kamiya 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 Kamiya

The surname Kamiya originates from Japan and dates back to the 8th century. It is believed to have derived from the Japanese words "kami" meaning "god" or "divine" and "ya" meaning "house" or "dwelling." Thus, the name likely referred to a shrine or temple where deities were worshipped.

The Kamiya name was particularly prominent in the Kyoto and Nara regions of central Japan, where many ancient shrines and temples were located. It is possible that the earliest bearers of this surname were associated with religious sites or served as priests or caretakers.

One of the earliest recorded references to the Kamiya name can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an imperial chronicle completed in 797 AD. This text mentions a man named Kamiya no Yasumaro, who served as a court scholar and scribe during the reign of Emperor Tenmu in the late 7th century.

In the 12th century, a prominent Buddhist monk named Kamiya Genkō is known to have founded the Jōdo-shū sect of Pure Land Buddhism. He was born in 1154 and passed away in 1238, leaving a lasting impact on Japanese religious and cultural history.

During the Sengoku period of the 16th century, a powerful samurai clan known as the Kamiya clan rose to prominence in the Iga region of central Japan. They were renowned for their skills in ninjutsu and served as warriors and spies for various daimyo lords.

In the realm of literature, one of Japan's most celebrated haiku poets, Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694), had a close disciple named Kamiya Sōkan. Sōkan was an accomplished poet in his own right and helped to promote Bashō's famous literary legacy.

The Kamiya surname has also been carried by notable figures in modern Japanese history, such as Kamiya Mieko (1914-1979), a pioneering female writer and activist who championed women's rights and pacifism in the postwar era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kamiya

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

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

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

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