2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Miyaki
A Japanese surname derived from an old place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Miyaki. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Miyaki 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Miyaki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Miyaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and Two or More Races (11.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Miyaki
The surname Miyaki is a Japanese family name that originated in the Okinawa Prefecture, an island region located in the southernmost part of Japan. The name can be traced back to the 15th century, when the Ryukyu Kingdom ruled over the islands of Okinawa.
Miyaki is likely derived from the Okinawan word "miyaku," which means "capital city" or "royal palace." This suggests that the name may have been associated with those who lived in or worked in the vicinity of the royal capital or palace during the Ryukyu Kingdom era.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Miyaki surname can be found in the Omoro Soshi, a collection of poems and songs from the Ryukyu Kingdom, dating back to the 16th century. The name appears in several poems, indicating its presence in Okinawan society at that time.
In the 17th century, the Miyaki family was documented as being part of the Okinawan aristocracy, holding influential positions within the Ryukyu Kingdom's government and military. Miyaki Iekane (1557-1638) was a prominent figure during this period, serving as a high-ranking official and military commander.
Another notable figure was Miyaki Munashige (1682-1757), a scholar and historian who wrote extensively about the culture, customs, and history of the Ryukyu Kingdom. His works remain valuable sources of information about Okinawan society during the 17th and 18th centuries.
During the 19th century, when the Ryukyu Kingdom was absorbed into the Japanese Empire, the Miyaki surname spread beyond Okinawa to other parts of Japan. Miyaki Etsujiro (1843-1914) was a renowned educator and advocate for the preservation of Okinawan culture and language.
In more recent history, Miyaki Tatsumi (1917-1999) was a prominent writer and poet who explored themes of Okinawan identity and the island's unique cultural heritage in his works.
While the Miyaki surname has its roots in Okinawa, individuals bearing this name have made significant contributions across various fields, from government and military to academia and literature, both within the Okinawan context and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Miyaki
Among Census respondents with the surname Miyaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and Two or More Races (11.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Miyaki 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 Miyaki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander68.3% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino13.9% · 14
- Two or more races11.9% · 12
- White5.0% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Miyaki
Miyaki 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,981 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-5 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,501 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 11,981 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 1,501 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 Miyaki 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 | #153,769 | #155,270 | -1.0% |
| Count | 106 | 101 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Miyaki bearers went from 106 to 101 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 1,501 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #155,270.
FAQ
Miyaki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Miyaki?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Miyaki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Miyaki?
Miyaki ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Miyaki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Miyaki.
Has Miyaki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Miyaki went from 106 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Miyaki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Miyaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.9%) and Two or More Races (11.9%). 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 Miyaki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.3% (69 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Miyaki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (68.3%), Hispanic (13.9%), Two or More Races (11.9%). 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 Miyaki (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 Miyaki mean?
A Japanese surname derived from an old 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 Miyaki (0.03 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 Miyaki?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.