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

Kawana, 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 Kawana surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kawana in America

Kawana is the 109258th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kawana surname appeared 162 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 Kawana.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kawana 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 Kawana

The surname "KAWANA" is believed to have originated from Japan. It is thought to derive from the Japanese word "Kawa" meaning river or stream, and "na" which can mean valley or field. This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a river valley or field.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 16th century during the Azuchi-Momoyama period of Japanese history. Records from this era show the name appearing in the Kansai region, particularly around the areas of modern-day Osaka and Hyogo prefectures.

One of the first documented individuals with the Kawana surname was Kawana Toshiharu, a samurai retainer who served under the powerful Tokugawa clan in the early 17th century. Historical accounts mention his participation in the Siege of Osaka in 1615.

In the late 17th century, the name is found in records from the village of Kawana, now part of Shizuoka Prefecture. This village may have been named after an earlier individual with the surname, or the surname may have derived from the place name itself.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), several notable figures bore the Kawana name. Kawana Michizane (1776-1843) was a prominent scholar and poet who served as a court official in the Tokugawa shogunate. His literary works and contributions to education and culture were highly regarded.

Another individual of note was Kawana Koichiro (1832-1898), a samurai from the Satsuma Domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture). He played a role in the Meiji Restoration and later held various government positions in the new Imperial administration.

In more recent times, Kawana Takashi (1914-1965) was a renowned Japanese painter and printmaker, known for his landscape works and contributions to the Sosaku Hanga movement.

While the Kawana surname is not among the most common in Japan, it has a long and distinguished history, with notable bearers across various fields over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kawana

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

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

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

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