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

Kosaka, 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 Kosaka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kosaka in America

Kosaka is the 56073rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kosaka surname appeared 365 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 Kosaka.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kosaka 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 Kosaka

The surname Kosaka originates from Japan and can be traced back to the late 8th century CE. It is believed to be derived from the Japanese words "ko" meaning "small" and "saka" meaning "hill" or "slope." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived on or near a small hill or slope.

During the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE), the Kosaka name appears in several historical records and documents, indicating that it was a well-established surname by that time. One notable early reference is found in the Azuma Kagami, a historical chronicle from the late 13th century, which mentions a samurai named Kosaka Masatsura who served under the famous shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo.

In the 16th century, the Kosaka clan was a prominent feudal family based in the Akita region of northern Japan. They were initially vassals of the powerful Satake clan but later established their own independent domain. The most famous member of this clan was Kosaka Masanobu (1501-1584), who served as a military advisor and strategist to several daimyo lords.

Other historical figures with the Kosaka surname include Kosaka Danjuro (1663-1714), a renowned Kabuki actor who helped establish the Danjuro lineage of actors that continues to this day, and Kosaka Masanobu (1830-1908), a Meiji-era politician and diplomat who served as the Japanese ambassador to Great Britain.

In more recent times, notable individuals with the surname Kosaka include Kosaka Masataka (1900-1975), a Japanese politician who served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Kosaka Kunitsugu (1936-2020), a prominent businessman and former president of Sony Corporation.

Throughout its history, the Kosaka name has also been associated with various place names in Japan, such as Kosaka-machi, a town in Akita Prefecture, and Kosaka-jima, an island in the Inland Sea. Additionally, variations of the spelling, such as Kōsaka and Kōzaka, have been used over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kosaka

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

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

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

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