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

Kasai, 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 Kasai surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kasai in America

Kasai is the 58182nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kasai surname appeared 349 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 Kasai.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kasai 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 Kasai

The surname Kasai is of Japanese origin, originating in the late 16th century. It is derived from the Japanese word "kasai," which means "fire" or "conflagration." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, perhaps referring to an ancestor who was a firefighter or someone who lived near a significant fire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kasai can be found in the "Buke Kaden" (Records of Warrior Houses), a historical record of samurai families compiled in the late 17th century. The document mentions several members of the Kasai family who served as retainers to various daimyo (feudal lords) during the Sengoku period (1467-1615).

In the early 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Kasai was Kasai Yanosuke (1790-1868), a renowned swordsmith from Edo (present-day Tokyo). His blades were highly sought after by samurai and daimyo alike, and his work is still appreciated by collectors and scholars of Japanese swords to this day.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Kasai Hisanobu (1854-1920), a Meiji-era politician and diplomat. He served as the Japanese ambassador to the United States from 1906 to 1908 and played a crucial role in strengthening diplomatic ties between the two countries.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name Kasai was also associated with several notable writers and poets. Kasai Zenzō (1887-1928) was a renowned novelist and playwright who helped popularize the "shinkokugeki" (new national drama) movement in Japanese theater. Kasai Akira (1913-1998), on the other hand, was a celebrated poet and essayist whose works explored themes of nature, loneliness, and the human condition.

In more recent times, the name Kasai has been carried by individuals in various fields, such as Kasai Masunori (1926-2013), a renowned architect known for his innovative designs, and Kasai Kazuo (born 1938), a celebrated actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows over the course of his long career.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kasai

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

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

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

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