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

Kawaoka, 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 Kawaoka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kawaoka in America

Kawaoka is the 151532nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kawaoka surname appeared 108 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 Kawaoka.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kawaoka 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 Kawaoka

The surname KAWAOKA is of Japanese origin and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the Kagawa Prefecture, located on the island of Shikoku in southwestern Japan. The name derives from the Japanese words "kawa" meaning river and "oka" meaning hill, suggesting that it may have originated from a geographic location near a river and a hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KAWAOKA appears in the "Kōkin Denju" (古今伝授), a historical document from the late 16th century that records the genealogies of prominent samurai families in the region. This document mentions a samurai named Kawaoka Nobuyuki, who served under the Kagawa clan during the Sengoku period (1467-1615).

Another notable historical figure with the surname KAWAOKA was Kawaoka Yoshikazu (1585-1649), a renowned scholar and politician who served as a chief advisor to the Tokugawa shogunate during the early Edo period. He was known for his expertise in Confucian philosophy and played a significant role in shaping the political and educational policies of the shogunate.

In the late 18th century, a samurai named Kawaoka Tomosuke (1758-1824) is mentioned in the "Bunkyo Hyakka" (文教百家), a collection of biographies of prominent scholars and artists from the Edo period. Kawaoka Tomosuke was a skilled calligrapher and artist who was renowned for his ink paintings of landscapes and natural scenes.

During the Meiji era (1868-1912), Kawaoka Toshitaka (1835-1898) was a notable figure who played a crucial role in the modernization of Japan's education system. He served as the first Minister of Education in the Meiji government and was instrumental in establishing a nationwide system of public education based on Western models.

In more recent history, Kawaoka Yoshihiro (1951-) is a renowned virologist and professor at the University of Tokyo. He is known for his pioneering research on influenza viruses and has made significant contributions to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying viral evolution and pathogenesis.

While these are just a few examples, the surname KAWAOKA has a rich history that can be traced back to its origins in the Kagawa Prefecture of Japan and has been carried by notable figures in various fields throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kawaoka

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

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

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

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