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

Kitaoka, 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 Kitaoka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kitaoka in America

Kitaoka is the 123796th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kitaoka surname appeared 139 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 Kitaoka.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kitaoka 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 Kitaoka

The surname KITAOKA is of Japanese origin, derived from the words 'kita' meaning north and 'oka' meaning hill or slope. It likely originated in the medieval period as a locational surname, referring to a person who lived near a northern hill or slope.

Records show that the name KITAOKA first appeared in the late Heian period (794-1185 CE) in the Kansai region of Japan, which includes present-day Kyoto, Osaka, and Nara prefectures. The earliest known bearer of this surname was Kitaoka Masahiro, a samurai warrior who served under the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War (1180-1185 CE).

In the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE), the KITAOKA family established themselves as minor lords in the Kansai region, owning lands and maintaining a modest military force. One notable figure from this era was Kitaoka Yukitsuna (1235-1305 CE), a skilled archer and commander who participated in the Mongol invasions of Japan.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573 CE), the KITAOKA clan allied with the powerful Ashikaga shogunate and produced several influential courtiers and bureaucrats. Kitaoka Tadamitsu (1465-1523 CE) was a renowned calligrapher and poet who served as a advisor to the Ashikaga shoguns.

The Edo period (1603-1868 CE) saw the KITAOKA family maintain their status as minor nobility, with some members serving as retainers to the Tokugawa shogunate. Kitaoka Masanori (1718-1788 CE) was a respected scholar and historian who wrote extensively about the customs and traditions of the samurai class.

In more recent times, Kitaoka Fumio (1888-1978 CE) was a prominent economist and educator who served as the president of Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo. Kitaoka Masako (1929-2021 CE) was a celebrated actress who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her long career.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kitaoka

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

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

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

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