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

Kaneko, 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 Kaneko surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kaneko in America

Kaneko is the 22963rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kaneko surname appeared 1,114 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 Kaneko.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kaneko 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 Kaneko

The surname Kaneko originates from Japan. It is a Japanese family name that dates back to the 8th century AD. The name Kaneko is derived from the Japanese words "kane" meaning "metal" or "bell", and "ko" meaning "child". Thus, the name Kaneko can be interpreted as "child of the metal worker" or "child of the bell maker".

Kaneko was initially a surname used by families who worked as metalworkers, bell makers, or in related professions. The name first appeared in historical records from the Heian period (794-1185 AD) in Japan, where it was associated with artisans and craftsmen.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaneko can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an imperial chronicle from the early 9th century. This historical text mentions a metalworker named Kaneko no Kiyomitsu, who was commissioned to create a large bell for a Buddhist temple in Nara.

During the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD), the Kaneko family became prominent in the city of Kamakura, where they were renowned for their skill in bell-making and metalworking. The Kaneko-dera, a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, was named after this family and their contributions to the local community.

In the 16th century, a famous samurai warrior named Kaneko Nobunao (1545-1597) served under the powerful daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Kaneko Nobunao was known for his bravery and military exploits during the Sengoku period, which was a turbulent era of constant warfare in Japan.

Another notable figure with the surname Kaneko was Kaneko Rentaro (1853-1942), a Japanese politician and diplomat who served as the Foreign Minister of Japan in the early 20th century. He played a crucial role in negotiating the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of 1902, which was a significant milestone in Japan's international relations.

In the field of literature, Kaneko Misuzu (1903-1930) was a renowned Japanese poet and children's writer. Despite her short life, she left a lasting impact with her poignant and insightful works, which explored themes of nature, childhood, and human emotions.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Kaneko family was also known for their involvement in the production of traditional Japanese lacquerware. The town of Kaneko-machi in Yamagata Prefecture was named after a prominent Kaneko family who specialized in this craft.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kaneko

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

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

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

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