2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Kawanishi
A Japanese surname indicating a geographical origin near a river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Kawanishi. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kawanishi 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Kawanishi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kawanishi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and White (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kawanishi
The surname Kawanishi has its origins in Japan, where it first appeared during the late 8th century CE. The name is believed to be derived from the Japanese words "kawa" meaning river and "nishi" meaning west, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname likely lived near a river located to the west of a certain area or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Kawanishi name can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an early Japanese chronicle completed in 797 CE, which mentions a local government official with this surname. Several other historical documents from the Heian period (794-1185 CE) also reference individuals bearing the Kawanishi name, indicating its use among the ruling samurai class.
During the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE), the Kawanishi family emerged as a prominent clan of samurai warriors who held significant landholdings and wielded considerable influence in the western regions of Japan. Notably, Kawanishi Masatomo (1292-1368) was a renowned military commander who served under the Ashikaga shogunate and played a pivotal role in several key battles during the Nanboku-cho Wars.
In the later Edo period (1603-1868 CE), the Kawanishi surname was particularly concentrated in the Ise and Mie provinces of central Japan. Historical records from this time mention several notable figures, including Kawanishi Sadakazu (1716-1792), a respected scholar and poet, and Kawanishi Gentaro (1825-1892), a pioneering industrialist who established one of Japan's first modern textile factories.
Other notable individuals with the Kawanishi surname include Kawanishi Masaru (1875-1946), a pioneering aircraft designer and engineer who founded the Kawanishi Aircraft Company, and Kawanishi Hideyo (1899-1965), a renowned painter and printmaker known for his vibrant depictions of traditional Japanese life and landscapes.
Throughout its long history, the Kawanishi surname has maintained a strong association with its geographic origins, reflecting the deep-rooted cultural and linguistic traditions of Japan. Despite its widespread use across various regions and social strata, the name has retained its distinct identity and continues to hold significance as a marker of familial heritage and regional affiliation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kawanishi
Among Census respondents with the surname Kawanishi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and White (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kawanishi 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 Kawanishi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.7% · 87
- Two or more races5.2% · 5
- White3.1% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kawanishi
Kawanishi appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-5 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,983 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.9%) | Up 1,983 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 Kawanishi 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 | #158,432 | #156,449 | 1.3% |
| Count | 102 | 97 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kawanishi bearers went from 102 to 97 (-4.9% change). The surname moved up 1,983 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #156,449.
FAQ
Kawanishi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kawanishi?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Kawanishi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Kawanishi?
Kawanishi ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 97 people with the surname Kawanishi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Kawanishi.
Has Kawanishi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kawanishi went from 102 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Kawanishi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kawanishi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and White (3.1%). 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 Kawanishi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kawanishi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.7%), Two or More Races (5.2%), White (3.1%). 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 Kawanishi (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 Kawanishi mean?
A Japanese surname indicating a geographical origin near a 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 Kawanishi (0.03 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 Kawanishi?
Want to know how many people are called Kawanishi? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.