2000
#6,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,591
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.70
Rare Last name
Kato
A Japanese surname meaning "increase wisteria" or "add wisteria," likely referring to the flowering plant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,177 Americans carry the last name Kato. That puts it at #7,132 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,207 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kato 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kato with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 66,207
Census rank
#7,132
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,515 bearers of the surname Kato in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7132nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kato, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 62.7%. The next largest groups are White (17.4%) and Two or More Races (8.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kato
The surname KATO has its origins in Japan and can be traced back to the 8th century AD. It derives from the Japanese word "kato," meaning "upper," referring to a high or elevated place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KATO appears in the Shoku Nihongi, an early 9th-century imperial chronicle. It mentions a village named Kato-mura, which translates to "Upper Village," likely the birthplace of someone bearing the name KATO.
During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the name KATO gained prominence as it was borne by several influential samurai families. One notable figure was Kato Kiyomasa (1562-1611), a daimyo (feudal lord) who played a crucial role in the Siege of Osaka in 1615.
In the Edo period (1603-1868), the KATO surname was associated with various domains and territories, indicating its spread across Japan. The Kato clan of Aizu, for instance, was a prominent samurai family that ruled the Aizu Domain in present-day Fukushima Prefecture.
Another notable figure was Kato Hiroyuki (1836-1916), a statesman and diplomat who served as the first President of the House of Peers in the early Meiji period. He was instrumental in shaping Japan's modern political system.
The KATO name has also been carried by several renowned writers and artists. One example is Kato Shūichi (1919-2008), a celebrated novelist and essayist known for his works exploring existential themes.
Spanning centuries of Japanese history, the KATO surname has been borne by numerous individuals who have left their mark in various fields, from warfare and politics to literature and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kato
Among Census respondents with the surname Kato, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 62.7%. The next largest groups are White (17.4%) and Two or More Races (8.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kato 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 Kato surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander62.7% · 2,831
- White17.4% · 785
- Two or more races8.5% · 384
- Black or African American6.0% · 270
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 230
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kato
Kato 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
#6,461
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,257
+666 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Up 308 places
2020
#7,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,515
-742 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Down 671 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,769 | 4,591 | 1.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,461 | 5,257 | 1.78 | +666 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 308 places |
| 2020 | #7,132 | 4,515 | 1.51 | -742 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 671 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 Kato 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 | #6,461 | #7,132 | -10.4% |
| Count | 5,257 | 4,515 | -14.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.78 | 1.51 | -15.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kato bearers went from 5,257 to 4,515 (-14.1% change). The surname moved down 671 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,461 to #7,132.
FAQ
Kato surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kato?
Name Census estimates that about 5,177 living Americans carry the surname Kato. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,207 residents.
How common is Kato?
Kato ranks #7,132 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,515 people with the surname Kato. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,177), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Kato.
Has Kato become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kato went from 5,257 recorded bearers to 4,515. That is a decrease of 742 (-14.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,461 to #7,132.
What does the Census say about the background of Kato?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kato, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 62.7%. The next largest groups are White (17.4%) and Two or More Races (8.5%). 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 Kato in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.7% (2,831 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kato appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (62.7%), White (17.4%), Two or More Races (8.5%). 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 Kato (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 Kato mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "increase wisteria" or "add wisteria," likely referring to the flowering plant. 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 Kato (1.51 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 many people are called Kato?
You can see how many people have the last name Kato on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.