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

Minato, 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 Minato surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Minato in America

Minato is the 103655th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Minato surname appeared 173 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 Minato.

We can also compare 2010 data for Minato 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 Minato

The surname MINATO is of Japanese origin, first appearing in historical records from the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the word "minato" meaning "harbor" or "port" in Japanese. This suggests that early bearers of the name likely lived near a coastal area or worked in maritime-related professions.

One of the earliest known references to the MINATO name can be found in the "Shinchōki Taii" (Chronicles of Great Japan), a historical text compiled in the mid-17th century. This document mentions a samurai named MINATO Nobuyuki, who served under the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period (1603-1868).

During the Edo period, the MINATO name was particularly prominent in the Kanto region of central Japan, which includes the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama. Some notable individuals from this era include MINATO Masahiro (1619-1688), a renowned poet and calligrapher, and MINATO Yoshitsugu (1732-1801), a respected scholar and philosopher.

In the late 19th century, during the Meiji Restoration, the MINATO surname gained further recognition with the birth of MINATO Kenryo (1865-1942), a prominent statesman and diplomat who served as Japan's ambassador to several countries, including the United States and Germany.

Another famous bearer of the MINATO name was MINATO Kazuo (1904-1972), a celebrated writer and poet who is considered one of the pioneers of modern Japanese literature. His works, such as "The Bamboo Sword" and "The Sinking of the Akagi," explored themes of social injustice and the impact of World War II on Japanese society.

In more recent history, MINATO Michio (born 1946) is a notable physicist and author who has made significant contributions to the field of particle physics and has written several popular science books aimed at making complex scientific concepts accessible to the general public.

While the MINATO surname has its roots in Japan, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. The name continues to carry a rich historical legacy, reflecting the maritime traditions and intellectual pursuits of its bearers over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Minato

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

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

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

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