2000
#17,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,466
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Kawamoto
A Japanese surname derived from "river origin" or "source of the river".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,483 Americans carry the last name Kawamoto. That puts it at #20,719 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 231,122 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kawamoto 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.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 231,122
Census rank
#20,719
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,293 bearers of the surname Kawamoto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20719th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kawamoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and White (7.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kawamoto
Among Census respondents with the surname Kawamoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and White (7.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kawamoto 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 Kawamoto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander75.9% · 981
- Two or more races12.1% · 157
- White7.4% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 55
- Black or African American0.2% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kawamoto
Kawamoto 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
#19,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,379
-87 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Down 1,915 places
2020
#20,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,293
-86 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 1,152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,652 | 1,466 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,567 | 1,379 | 0.47 | -87 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 1,915 places |
| 2020 | #20,719 | 1,293 | 0.43 | -86 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 1,152 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 Kawamoto 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 | #19,567 | #20,719 | -5.9% |
| Count | 1,379 | 1,293 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.43 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kawamoto bearers went from 1,379 to 1,293 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 1,152 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,567 to #20,719.
FAQ
Kawamoto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kawamoto?
Name Census estimates that about 1,483 living Americans carry the surname Kawamoto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 231,122 residents.
How common is Kawamoto?
Kawamoto ranks #20,719 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,293 people with the surname Kawamoto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,483), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kawamoto.
Has Kawamoto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kawamoto went from 1,379 recorded bearers to 1,293. That is a decrease of 86 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,567 to #20,719.
What does the Census say about the background of Kawamoto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kawamoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 75.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and White (7.4%). 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 Kawamoto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.9% (981 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kawamoto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (75.9%), Two or More Races (12.1%), White (7.4%). 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 Kawamoto (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 Kawamoto mean?
A Japanese surname derived from "river origin" or "source of the river". 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 Kawamoto (0.43 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 have the last name Kawamoto?
If you just want to know how many people are called Kawamoto, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.