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

Kawamoto, 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 Kawamoto surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kawamoto in America

Kawamoto is the 19567th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kawamoto surname appeared 1,379 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 Kawamoto.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kawamoto 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 Kawamoto

The surname KAWAMOTO originated in Japan, with the earliest known records dating back to the 8th century AD during the Nara period. It is a combination of two Japanese words: "kawa" meaning "river" and "moto" meaning "origin" or "source", suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near the source of a river.

The name KAWAMOTO is believed to have first appeared in the Izumi Province, which is now part of the modern-day Osaka Prefecture. It was a relatively common surname among the samurai class and other noble families in this region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KAWAMOTO can be found in the "Shoku Nihongi", a historical text compiled in the 8th century that chronicles the reigns of various Japanese emperors. The text mentions a samurai named KAWAMOTO no Hiromaro, who lived during the late 8th century and served under Emperor Kammu.

During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the KAWAMOTO family rose to prominence as a respected samurai clan in the Izumi Province. They were known for their skilled swordsmanship and loyalty to the Minamoto shogunate.

One notable figure from this period was KAWAMOTO Nobumoto (1232-1301), a renowned military commander who played a crucial role in suppressing the Shōkū Rebellion against the Kamakura shogunate in 1283.

In the Edo period (1603-1868), the KAWAMOTO family continued to hold influential positions as local lords and administrators in the Izumi Province. One prominent member was KAWAMOTO Masatsune (1656-1718), a daimyo (feudal lord) who governed the Tsuyama Domain in modern-day Okayama Prefecture.

During the Meiji Restoration (1868-1912), the KAWAMOTO family adapted to the changing social and political landscape of Japan. One notable figure from this era was KAWAMOTO Kiyomi (1835-1898), a politician and diplomat who played a significant role in the modernization of Japan and served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the late 19th century.

Another prominent individual with the surname KAWAMOTO was Toshio KAWAMOTO (1884-1965), a pioneering Japanese filmmaker and one of the founders of the country's animation industry. He directed the first Japanese animated film, "Namakura Gatana" (1917), and is considered a pioneer in the field of anime.

Throughout its history, the KAWAMOTO surname has been associated with various regions in Japan, including Osaka, Okayama, and Tokyo, where many families bearing this name have settled over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kawamoto

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

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

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

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