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

Miyagi, 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 Miyagi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Miyagi in America

Miyagi is the 59742nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Miyagi surname appeared 338 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 Miyagi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Miyagi 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 Miyagi

The surname Miyagi originated in Japan and is derived from the word "miyako," which means "capital city." It is believed to have first appeared around the 8th century AD, during the Nara period, when the capital of Japan was moved to the city of Heijo-kyo (present-day Nara).

The Miyagi name is most commonly associated with the Miyagi Prefecture, a region located in the Tohoku area of northern Honshu, Japan's main island. This prefecture was named after the Miyagi clan, a prominent samurai family that ruled the area during the Edo period (1603-1868).

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Miyagi name can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an early Japanese chronicle that covers the period from 697 to 791 AD. In this text, there is a reference to a person named Miyagi no Shima, who was a high-ranking court official during the reign of Emperor Shomu.

Another notable historical figure with the Miyagi surname was Miyagi Masayuki (1564-1631), a renowned samurai and military strategist who served under the powerful Tokugawa shogunate. He played a crucial role in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which established the Tokugawa clan as the ruling family of Japan.

In the world of martial arts, one of the most famous Miyagis was Miyagi Chojun (1888-1953), the founder of Goju-ryu karate. He was born in Naha, Okinawa, and is credited with introducing and popularizing this particular style of karate both in Japan and internationally.

Another notable Miyagi was Miyagi Michio (1894-1956), a renowned Japanese poet and philosopher who was heavily influenced by Zen Buddhism. His poetry often explored themes of nature, impermanence, and the human condition.

In more recent times, Miyagi Hideki (1914-2010) was a renowned Japanese architect who was known for his innovative and environmentally conscious designs. He was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 1993, which is often referred to as the "Nobel Prize of architecture."

While the Miyagi name is most commonly associated with Japan, there are also instances of it being used in other parts of the world, particularly among Japanese diaspora communities. However, the historical roots and origins of this surname can be traced back to the ancient capital cities and samurai clans of Japan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Miyagi

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

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

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