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

Matsunaga, 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 Matsunaga surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Matsunaga in America

Matsunaga is the 28998th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Matsunaga surname appeared 819 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 Matsunaga.

We can also compare 2010 data for Matsunaga 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 Matsunaga

The surname Matsunaga originates from Japan and is thought to date back to the 8th century. It is believed to be derived from the Japanese words "matsu" meaning pine tree and "naga" meaning long or tall, likely referring to someone who lived near a particularly tall pine tree or pine forest.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Shoku Nihongi, an early Japanese chronicle that covers the years 697-791 AD. It mentions a courtier named Matsunaga no Kuronushi who served during the reign of Emperor Shomu in the 8th century.

During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the Matsunaga clan emerged as a prominent samurai family based in what is now Osaka Prefecture. They served as vassals of the powerful Hosokawa clan and played a role in the conflicts between the Northern and Southern Imperial Courts.

In the late 15th century, Matsunaga Hisahide (1510-1577) was a notable daimyo (feudal lord) who initially supported Oda Nobunaga but later turned against him. He was eventually defeated and killed by Nobunaga's forces in 1577.

Another historical figure was Matsunaga Teitoku (1571-1654), a samurai and Tea Master who helped promote the Senke school of Tea Ceremony. He served under Tokugawa Ieyasu and played a role in the transition from the Azuchi-Momoyama period to the Edo period.

In the Edo period (1603-1868), the Matsunaga clan continued to hold territories in western Japan, including parts of modern-day Hiroshima, Okayama, and Yamaguchi prefectures. Notable daimyo included Matsunaga Norihiro (1599-1650) and Matsunaga Norishige (1646-1703).

Other notable individuals with the Matsunaga surname include the 20th-century politician Matsunaga Masayuki (1916-1977), who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives in Japan, and the botanist Matsunaga Tomomi (1860-1934), who made significant contributions to the study of Japanese plant life.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Matsunaga

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

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

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

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