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

Kitano, 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 Kitano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kitano in America

Kitano is the 94311th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kitano surname appeared 194 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 Kitano.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kitano 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 Kitano

The surname Kitano originates from Japan and has its roots in the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Japanese word "kita," meaning north, and "no," meaning field or plain, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to a person who lived in a northern field or plain area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kitano can be found in the Muromachi period (1336-1573), where it appears in some historical documents related to samurai families and landowners in the Kansai region of Japan. During this time, the name was often written using the kanji characters 北野, which carry the same meaning as the etymological origin.

In the Edo period (1603-1868), the Kitano surname gained prominence in the city of Kyoto, where a prominent merchant family with this name established themselves. The family's wealth and influence grew, and they became known for their involvement in the textile trade and their support of cultural and artistic endeavors.

One notable figure bearing the Kitano surname was Kitano Tenjin Enari (1516-1594), a renowned Shinto priest and scholar who served at the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto. This shrine, dedicated to the deified form of the scholar Sugawara no Michizane, became a significant center of learning and culture during his tenure.

Another historical figure with the Kitano surname was Kitano Tsunetomi (1635-1705), a prominent Confucian scholar and philosopher who served as a court advisor during the Edo period. His writings on ethics and governance were highly influential and contributed to the development of Neo-Confucian thought in Japan.

During the Meiji era (1868-1912), the Kitano family from Kyoto continued to play a role in the cultural and economic life of the city. One notable member was Kitano Tomotari (1857-1932), a successful businessman and philanthropist who established several educational institutions and supported the preservation of traditional Japanese arts and crafts.

In the 20th century, the name Kitano gained international recognition through the work of the celebrated film director Kitano Takeshi (born 1947), known for his distinctive cinematic style and exploration of themes such as violence, alienation, and human resilience.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kitano

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!