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

Masumoto, 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 Masumoto surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Masumoto in America

Masumoto is the 81181st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Masumoto surname appeared 233 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 Masumoto.

We can also compare 2010 data for Masumoto 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 Masumoto

The surname Masumoto is of Japanese origin, dating back to the 8th century AD during the Nara period. It is derived from the old Japanese phrase "masu moto," which translates to "the base of the pine tree." This name likely originated in the mountainous regions of central Japan, where pine trees were abundant.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Masumoto name can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an imperial chronicle from 797 AD, which mentions a samurai warrior named Masumoto no Mitsumasa. In the 12th century, the name appears in the Heike Monogatari, a famous epic account of the Genpei War, referring to a local lord from the Masumoto clan.

During the Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333), the Masumoto family were prominent landowners in the Izu Peninsula region, known for their expertise in forestry and lumber production. This connection to the pine tree likely influenced the adoption of their surname.

In the 16th century, a distinguished scholar and poet named Masumoto Hisamitsu (1522-1594) gained recognition for his contributions to the development of the Renga poetic form. His works were widely circulated among the literary circles of the time.

Another notable figure was Masumoto Jinpachi (1605-1658), a skilled swordsmith who lived during the Edo period. His katanas were highly prized for their exceptional craftsmanship and were favored by many samurai warriors.

In the late 19th century, Masumoto Katsusuke (1856-1925) was a prominent businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the modernization of Japan's textile industry. He established several successful factories and contributed to the country's economic growth during the Meiji era.

The Masumoto name has also been associated with several place names throughout Japan, such as Masumoto-cho in Fukuoka Prefecture and Masumoto-mura in Gifu Prefecture, reflecting the historical presence of families bearing this surname in those regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Masumoto

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

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

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

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