2000
#103,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 161
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Miyaji
A Japanese surname potentially derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Miyaji. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Miyaji 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Miyaji in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Miyaji, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.5%) and White (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Miyaji
The surname Miyaji is of Japanese origin, originating in the Edo period (1603-1868) of Japanese history. It is believed to have originated from the region of Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan, particularly in the areas around the city of Sendai.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Miyaji can be found in the Sendai Domain Records, a collection of historical documents dating back to the 17th century. These records mention several individuals with the surname Miyaji, suggesting that the name was already established in the region at that time.
The name Miyaji is thought to be derived from the Japanese words "miya," meaning "shrine," and "ji," meaning "ground" or "territory." This could indicate that the surname originated from individuals who lived near or were associated with a local shrine or sacred ground.
Historically, the Miyaji surname has been associated with various notable figures in Japanese society. One such individual was Miyaji Masayuki (1835-1888), a prominent samurai and government official during the late Edo and early Meiji periods. He played a significant role in the modernization and westernization of Japan during the Meiji Restoration.
Another notable bearer of the Miyaji surname was Miyaji Izumi (1876-1957), a renowned Japanese poet and novelist. She was a prominent figure in the late 19th and early 20th century literary circles and is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern Japanese literature.
In the realm of sports, Miyaji Yukio (1892-1985) was a prominent figure in the early days of Japanese baseball. He played a crucial role in the development and popularization of the sport in Japan during the early 20th century.
The Miyaji surname has also been associated with notable figures in the academic and scientific fields. Miyaji Naokazu (1897-1975) was a renowned Japanese mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the fields of geometry and topology.
Lastly, Miyaji Kazuhiro (1927-2007) was a respected Japanese historian and scholar. He specialized in the study of Japanese history during the Edo period and wrote extensively on the social and cultural aspects of that era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Miyaji
Among Census respondents with the surname Miyaji, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.5%) and White (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Miyaji 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 Miyaji surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander77.3% · 85
- Two or more races15.5% · 17
- White4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Miyaji
Miyaji 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
#122,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
-20 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 19,121 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-31 bearers (-22.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 27,132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #103,193 | 161 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #122,314 | 141 | 0.05 | -20 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 19,121 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -31 bearers (-22.0%) | Down 27,132 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 Miyaji 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 | #122,314 | #149,446 | -22.2% |
| Count | 141 | 110 | -22.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Miyaji bearers went from 141 to 110 (-22.0% change). The surname moved down 27,132 positions in the national ranking, going from #122,314 to #149,446.
FAQ
Miyaji surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Miyaji?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Miyaji. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Miyaji?
Miyaji ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Miyaji. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Miyaji.
Has Miyaji become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Miyaji went from 141 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 31 (-22.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #122,314 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Miyaji?
Among Census respondents with the surname Miyaji, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.5%) and White (4.5%). 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 Miyaji in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.3% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Miyaji appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (77.3%), Two or More Races (15.5%), White (4.5%). 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 Miyaji (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 Miyaji mean?
A Japanese surname potentially derived from a place name. 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 Miyaji (0.04 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 people have the last name Miyaji?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Miyaji? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.