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

Kanemoto, 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 Kanemoto surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kanemoto in America

Kanemoto is the 67318th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kanemoto surname appeared 293 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 Kanemoto.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kanemoto 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 Kanemoto

The surname Kanemoto is of Japanese origin, deriving from the Edo period which spanned the years 1603 to 1868. Kanemoto likely originated in the Kanto region of central Honshu, Japan's largest and most populous island. The name is composed of two elements - 'kane' meaning 'money' or 'wealth', and 'moto' meaning 'origin' or 'foundation'. Together, the name can be interpreted as 'origin of wealth'.

Historically, the Kanemoto surname first appeared in genealogical records from the late 17th century in the area around modern-day Tokyo. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Kanemoto Hisanori, a wealthy merchant born in 1654 in the city of Edo (now Tokyo). His family's prosperous trading business dealing in silk and other fine goods likely led to the adoption of the auspicious name Kanemoto.

In the 18th century, the name appeared in village records from rural areas of Saitama and Gunma prefectures north of Tokyo. For example, tax documents from 1723 list a Kanemoto Kichizaemon, a prosperous farmer from Kumagaya in Saitama. Another early bearer was Kanemoto Genroku (1717-1790), a Confucian scholar and poet from Maebashi in Gunma.

During the Meiji era of the late 19th century, the name spread across Japan as rural populations became more mobile. Notable Kanemotos from this period include Kanemoto Hisakichi (1832-1912), an educator who founded one of the first modern schools for the blind in Kyoto, and Kanemoto Masao (1871-1933), a politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives.

Into the 20th century, Kanemoto remained a relatively uncommon surname concentrated in central and eastern Japan. One prominent bearer was Kanemoto Goh (1902-1963), a businessman and philanthropist who helped rebuild post-war Tokyo through construction projects and charitable works. Another was the artist Kanemoto Sumiko (1923-1963), celebrated for her woodblock prints depicting traditional Japanese scenes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kanemoto

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

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

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

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