2000
#85,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 202
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Kitahara
A Japanese surname indicating a person from the north part of a town or region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 253 Americans carry the last name Kitahara. That puts it at #89,848 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,354,760 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kitahara 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
253
1 in 1,354,760
Census rank
#89,848
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
221
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 221 bearers of the surname Kitahara in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 89848th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitahara, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.2%) and White (10.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kitahara
The surname Kitahara has its origins in Japan, where it can be traced back to the mid-16th century. It is derived from the Japanese words "kita," meaning north, and "hara," meaning field or plain. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person or family who lived or worked in a northern field or plain area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kitahara can be found in the Tamon-in Nikki, a diary written by a Buddhist monk in the late 16th century, which mentions a person with this surname. Additionally, the name appears in several historical documents from the Edo period (1603-1868), suggesting that it was a well-established surname during that time.
During the Edo period, the Kitahara family was known to have resided in the Echigo Province (present-day Niigata Prefecture) and held positions as samurai retainers under the Uesugi clan, one of the most prominent feudal lords of the region. Notably, Kitahara Masanao (1608-1673) was a renowned military strategist and adviser to the Uesugi daimyo.
Another notable figure with the Kitahara surname was Kitahara Kodayū (1667-1736), a mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of the Japanese calendar system. He was also involved in surveying and mapping projects during the Edo period.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several Kitahara individuals gained recognition in various fields. Kitahara Jirō (1868-1936) was a prominent businessman and industrialist who played a key role in the modernization of Japan's silk industry. Kitahara Taisuke (1871-1930) was a respected educator and founder of several schools, including the Kitahara Institute of English in Tokyo.
More recently, Kitahara Yoshihiro (1923-2005) was a renowned Japanese writer and literary critic, known for his works exploring cultural identity and the impact of modernization on traditional values. He was awarded the prestigious Noma Literary Prize in 1970 for his novel "The Tarnished Blades."
While there may have been variations in spelling or pronunciation in different regions of Japan, the Kitahara surname has maintained a strong presence throughout the country's history, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions across various domains.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kitahara
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitahara, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.2%) and White (10.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kitahara 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 Kitahara surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander74.2% · 164
- Two or more races12.2% · 27
- White10.4% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kitahara
Kitahara 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
#87,663
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 212
+10 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 1,667 places
2020
#89,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 221
+9 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 2,185 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #85,996 | 202 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #87,663 | 212 | 0.07 | +10 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 1,667 places |
| 2020 | #89,848 | 221 | 0.07 | +9 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 2,185 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 Kitahara 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 | #87,663 | #89,848 | -2.5% |
| Count | 212 | 221 | 4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kitahara bearers went from 212 to 221 (+4.2% change). The surname moved down 2,185 positions in the national ranking, going from #87,663 to #89,848.
FAQ
Kitahara surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kitahara?
Name Census estimates that about 253 living Americans carry the surname Kitahara. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,354,760 residents.
How common is Kitahara?
Kitahara ranks #89,848 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 221 people with the surname Kitahara. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (253), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Kitahara.
Has Kitahara become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kitahara went from 212 recorded bearers to 221. That is an increase of 9 (+4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #87,663 to #89,848.
What does the Census say about the background of Kitahara?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitahara, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.2%) and White (10.4%). 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 Kitahara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (164 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kitahara appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (74.2%), Two or More Races (12.2%), White (10.4%). 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 Kitahara (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 Kitahara mean?
A Japanese surname indicating a person from the north part of a town or region. 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 Kitahara (0.07 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 Kitahara?
You can see how common the surname Kitahara is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.