2000
#113,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kishaba
A surname potentially of Japanese origin, the meaning is not clearly established.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Kishaba. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kishaba 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Kishaba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kishaba, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (19.3%) and White (8.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kishaba
The surname Kishaba is believed to have originated from Japan, with its roots tracing back to the late 16th century or early 17th century. It is thought to be derived from a combination of the Japanese words "kishi," meaning "knight" or "samurai," and "ba," which can refer to a place or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kishaba can be found in the historical records of the Satsuma Domain, a prominent feudal domain located in present-day Kagoshima Prefecture. During this period, the Kishaba family is believed to have been part of the samurai class, serving as retainers or vassals to the ruling Shimazu clan.
In the late 17th century, a samurai named Kishaba Masatoshi (1648-1711) gained recognition for his military prowess and loyalty to the Shimazu clan. He played a significant role in quelling the Shimabara Rebellion, a peasant uprising against the Tokugawa shogunate.
Another notable figure bearing the Kishaba surname was Kishaba Kunimune (1734-1804), a renowned scholar and poet who contributed to the development of the traditional Japanese poetic form known as waka. His works were highly regarded during the Edo period and are still studied today.
In the 19th century, Kishaba Tokunosuke (1827-1886) made a name for himself as a skilled swordsmith, crafting renowned katana blades that were highly prized by samurai warriors of the time. His craftsmanship and techniques were passed down through generations, contributing to the preservation of this ancient Japanese art form.
During the Meiji Restoration period, Kishaba Hideharu (1853-1917) was a prominent figure in the political and military spheres. He served as a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and later played a crucial role in the establishment of Japan's modern education system, contributing to the country's modernization efforts.
Throughout its history, the Kishaba surname has been associated with various regions within Japan, particularly in the southern prefectures of Kagoshima and Miyazaki. The name has also been found in historical records and documents dating back to the Edo period, further solidifying its deep-rooted Japanese origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kishaba
Among Census respondents with the surname Kishaba, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (19.3%) and White (8.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kishaba 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 Kishaba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander69.7% · 83
- Two or more races19.3% · 23
- White8.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kishaba
Kishaba 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-10 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 14,730 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-14 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,539 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #113,519 | 143 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | -10 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 14,730 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 14,539 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 Kishaba 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 | #128,249 | #142,788 | -11.3% |
| Count | 133 | 119 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kishaba bearers went from 133 to 119 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 14,539 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #142,788.
FAQ
Kishaba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kishaba?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Kishaba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Kishaba?
Kishaba ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Kishaba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Kishaba.
Has Kishaba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kishaba went from 133 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Kishaba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kishaba, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (19.3%) and White (8.4%). 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 Kishaba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.7% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kishaba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (69.7%), Two or More Races (19.3%), White (8.4%). 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 Kishaba (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 Kishaba mean?
A surname potentially of Japanese origin, the meaning is not clearly established. 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 Kishaba (0.04 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 Kishaba?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Kishaba at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.