2000
#91,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 188
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Miyagishima
A locational surname referring to someone from Miyagishima, an area or island in Japan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 241 Americans carry the last name Miyagishima. That puts it at #93,627 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,422,217 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Miyagishima surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
241
1 in 1,422,217
Census rank
#93,627
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
210
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 210 bearers of the surname Miyagishima in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 93627th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Miyagishima, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (17.6%) and Hispanic (11.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Miyagishima
The surname "MIYAGISHIMA" is of Japanese origin, originating in the late 16th century. It is a combination of two Japanese words: "Miyagi" and "shima". "Miyagi" is derived from the name of the Miyagi Prefecture, a region located in the Tohoku area of northern Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The word "shima" means "island" in Japanese.
The earliest known records of the MIYAGISHIMA surname can be traced back to the late 1500s, when it first appeared in official family registers and census documents in the Miyagi Prefecture. It is believed that the name originated from a family or clan that resided on one of the small islands off the coast of Miyagi.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname MIYAGISHIMA was Jiro MIYAGISHIMA, a samurai warrior who served under the powerful Date clan in the late 16th century. Another notable figure was Masako MIYAGISHIMA, a renowned poet and calligrapher who lived in the early 1700s.
In the 19th century, a prominent MIYAGISHIMA family established a successful fishing business in the coastal town of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. The family's patriarch, Koji MIYAGISHIMA (1825-1899), was known for his innovative techniques in oyster cultivation and his contributions to the local economy.
During the Meiji Restoration period (1868-1912), a military officer named Taro MIYAGISHIMA (1847-1921) played a role in the modernization of Japan's armed forces. He was recognized for his leadership during the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905).
In more recent history, Yuki MIYAGISHIMA (1920-2003) was a renowned artist and sculptor, known for her intricate wood carvings and traditional Japanese art forms. Her works are displayed in museums and galleries across Japan and internationally.
While the MIYAGISHIMA surname originated in the Miyagi Prefecture, it has since spread to other parts of Japan and abroad, with individuals carrying this name making contributions in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Miyagishima
Among Census respondents with the surname Miyagishima, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (17.6%) and Hispanic (11.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Miyagishima bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Miyagishima surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander61.9% · 130
- Two or more races17.6% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino11.4% · 24
- White8.1% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Miyagishima
Miyagishima appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#86,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 214
+26 bearers (+13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 4,023 places
2020
#93,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210
-4 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 6,646 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #91,004 | 188 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #86,981 | 214 | 0.07 | +26 bearers (+13.8%) | Up 4,023 places |
| 2020 | #93,627 | 210 | 0.07 | -4 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 6,646 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Miyagishima surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #86,981 | #93,627 | -7.6% |
| Count | 214 | 210 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Miyagishima bearers went from 214 to 210 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 6,646 positions in the national ranking, going from #86,981 to #93,627.
FAQ
Miyagishima surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Miyagishima?
Name Census estimates that about 241 living Americans carry the surname Miyagishima. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,422,217 residents.
How common is Miyagishima?
Miyagishima ranks #93,627 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 210 people with the surname Miyagishima. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (241), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Miyagishima.
Has Miyagishima become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Miyagishima went from 214 recorded bearers to 210. That is a decrease of 4 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #86,981 to #93,627.
What does the Census say about the background of Miyagishima?
Among Census respondents with the surname Miyagishima, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (17.6%) and Hispanic (11.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Miyagishima in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.9% (130 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Miyagishima appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (61.9%), Two or More Races (17.6%), Hispanic (11.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Miyagishima (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Miyagishima mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Miyagishima, an area or island in Japan. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Miyagishima (0.07 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Miyagishima?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.