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

Masunaga, 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 Masunaga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Masunaga in America

Masunaga is the 97671st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Masunaga surname appeared 186 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 Masunaga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Masunaga 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 Masunaga

The surname Masunaga is of Japanese origin, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE) in Japan. The name is believed to have originated in the Kansai region, particularly around the areas of present-day Osaka and Kyoto.

Masunaga is a compound surname, with the first part "Masu" meaning "increase" or "grow," and the second part "naga" meaning "long" or "forever." Thus, the name can be interpreted as "everlasting prosperity" or "lasting growth." This name likely originated from a family's aspirations or as a description of their lineage.

One of the earliest known references to the Masunaga surname can be found in the Kamakura-era records of the Taiheiki, a historical narrative that chronicles the wars and political upheavals of the late 13th and early 14th centuries in Japan. The name appears in connection with individuals involved in the conflicts of the time.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573 CE), the Masunaga family held significant influence and prominence in the Kansai region. Records from this era mention Masunaga samurai warriors and landowners who played roles in the region's power struggles and conflicts.

Notable figures with the Masunaga surname include:

1. Masunaga Sadafusa (1490-1564), a renowned tea master and calligrapher during the Sengoku period.
2. Masunaga Katsuhide (1556-1632), a daimyo (feudal lord) who served under Tokugawa Ieyasu during the late Sengoku and early Edo periods.
3. Masunaga Nagatane (1720-1798), a painter and artist known for his landscape and genre paintings during the Edo period.
4. Masunaga Keisuke (1835-1898), a Meiji-era politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
5. Masunaga Kokichi (1891-1977), a prominent architect and designer known for his work on the Tokyo Imperial Palace and other notable buildings during the Showa period.

While the Masunaga name has its roots in the Kansai region, it has since spread throughout Japan and can be found in various prefectures and regions due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Masunaga

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

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

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

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