2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Kiyohara
A Japanese surname derived from the town name "Kiyohara".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Kiyohara. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kiyohara 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Kiyohara in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiyohara, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.8%) and White (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kiyohara
The surname KIYOHARA has its origins in Japan, with records of the name dating back to the Heian period (794-1185 AD). The name is composed of two Japanese words, "kiyo" meaning pure or clean, and "hara" meaning field or plain. It is believed that the name originally referred to someone who lived in or owned a pure or unspoiled field or plain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KIYOHARA name can be found in the Konjaku Monogatarishu, a collection of Japanese tales from the late Heian period. The text mentions a man named KIYOHARA no Narihira, a renowned poet and member of the imperial court who lived from 825-880 AD.
During the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD), the KIYOHARA clan was a prominent samurai family that served the Minamoto shogunate. The most notable member of this clan was KIYOHARA no Norikata, a skilled military commander who played a key role in the Genpei War (1180-1185 AD) against the Taira clan.
In the Muromachi period (1336-1573 AD), a branch of the KIYOHARA family settled in the Kaga region (present-day Ishikawa Prefecture). One of their descendants, KIYOHARA Motosuke, was a renowned swordsmith who lived during the late 16th century and created swords for various daimyo (feudal lords).
Another prominent figure with the KIYOHARA surname was KIYOHARA Tama, a renowned female poet who lived during the Edo period (1603-1868 AD). Her poetry was highly regarded and included in several anthologies of the time.
In more recent times, KIYOHARA Hiroshi (1919-2010) was a renowned Japanese author and playwright, best known for his works exploring the lives of ordinary people in post-war Japan. His novel "The Summer Flower Garden" received the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most prestigious literary awards.
Throughout its history, the KIYOHARA surname has been associated with various regions of Japan, including Kyoto, Kaga, and Tokyo. While the exact origins of the name are uncertain, it has a long and rich history, with many notable individuals bearing the surname across various fields, including literature, samurai warfare, and craftsmanship.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kiyohara
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiyohara, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.8%) and White (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kiyohara 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 Kiyohara surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander80.7% · 92
- Two or more races8.8% · 10
- White7.9% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kiyohara
Kiyohara 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+3 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,716 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-17 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,670 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 5,716 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 16,670 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 Kiyohara 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 | #129,825 | #146,495 | -12.8% |
| Count | 131 | 114 | -13.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kiyohara bearers went from 131 to 114 (-13.0% change). The surname moved down 16,670 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #146,495.
FAQ
Kiyohara surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kiyohara?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Kiyohara. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Kiyohara?
Kiyohara ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Kiyohara. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Kiyohara.
Has Kiyohara become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kiyohara went from 131 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Kiyohara?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiyohara, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.8%) and White (7.9%). 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 Kiyohara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kiyohara appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (80.7%), Two or More Races (8.8%), White (7.9%). 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 Kiyohara (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 Kiyohara mean?
A Japanese surname derived from the town name "Kiyohara". 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 Kiyohara (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 share the surname Kiyohara?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.