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

Kuniyoshi, 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 Kuniyoshi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kuniyoshi in America

Kuniyoshi is the 91981st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kuniyoshi surname appeared 200 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 Kuniyoshi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kuniyoshi 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 Kuniyoshi

The surname Kuniyoshi originated in Japan, with its earliest known records dating back to the Kamakura period (1185–1333). It is derived from the Japanese words "kuni," meaning "country" or "province," and "yoshi," meaning "good" or "prosperous." The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who came from a prosperous region or province.

During the Muromachi period (1336–1573), the Kuniyoshi name appeared in several historical documents and records, particularly those related to samurai families and feudal lords. One notable example is Kuniyoshi Masahide, a samurai who served under the Imagawa clan in the late 16th century.

In the Edo period (1603–1868), the Kuniyoshi surname gained prominence among artists and ukiyo-e woodblock print designers. The most famous bearer of this name was Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861), a renowned ukiyo-e artist known for his depictions of warriors, historical scenes, and legendary figures.

Other notable individuals with the Kuniyoshi surname include Kuniyoshi Obara (1887–1977), a Japanese painter and printmaker who specialized in traditional Japanese-style paintings; and Kuniyoshi Utagawa (1835–1900), a ukiyo-e artist and student of the renowned Utagawa Kunisada.

During the Meiji period (1868–1912), the Kuniyoshi surname continued to be associated with artists and cultural figures. One example is Kuniyoshi Mukai (1861–1943), a Japanese painter and illustrator who studied Western-style painting techniques.

In the early 20th century, the Kuniyoshi name also appeared in the field of sumo wrestling. Kuniyoshi Hifumi (1911–1985) was a professional sumo wrestler who achieved the highest rank of yokozuna in 1942.

While the Kuniyoshi surname has its roots in Japan, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and cultural exchange. However, the earliest recorded instances and historical references remain rooted in Japanese history and cultural traditions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kuniyoshi

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kuniyoshi, 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!