2000
#32,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 661
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Miyazaki
A Japanese surname derived from the place name, meaning "holy frontier village".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 758 Americans carry the last name Miyazaki. That puts it at #36,437 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 452,183 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Miyazaki 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
758
1 in 452,183
Census rank
#36,437
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
661
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 661 bearers of the surname Miyazaki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36437th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Miyazaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.0%) and White (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Miyazaki
The surname Miyazaki originated in Japan and can be traced back to the 8th century. It is derived from the Japanese words "mi" meaning "august" or "beautiful" and "yazaki" referring to a small village or settlement. Miyazaki was originally used to describe an individual from the Miyazaki region of southern Kyushu Island.
During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the name Miyazaki appeared in several records and manuscripts related to samurai families and local lords. One notable reference is found in the Azuma Kagami, a historical chronicle documenting the rise of the Kamakura shogunate.
The earliest known individual with the surname Miyazaki was Miyazaki Masayoshi (1141-1211), a prominent samurai and military commander who served under the Kamakura shogunate. He was known for his bravery and leadership during the Genpei War.
Another historical figure bearing the Miyazaki name was Miyazaki Toshiyoshi (1598-1683), a renowned scholar and poet of the Edo period. He was a master of waka poetry and served as a tutor to the shogun's family.
In the late 19th century, Miyazaki Torazō (1870-1939) was a pioneering educator who played a significant role in modernizing Japan's education system. He introduced new teaching methods and advocated for the inclusion of Western subjects in the curriculum.
During World War II, Miyazaki Hajime (1918-1945) was a fighter pilot in the Imperial Japanese Navy. He is remembered for his heroic actions in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, where he sacrificed his life to protect his fellow pilots.
More recently, Miyazaki Hayao (born 1941) is a renowned Japanese filmmaker and co-founder of Studio Ghibli. He is widely regarded as a master of anime and has created many critically acclaimed films, including "Spirited Away" and "Princess Mononoke."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Miyazaki
Among Census respondents with the surname Miyazaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.0%) and White (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Miyazaki 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 Miyazaki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander80.6% · 533
- Two or more races10.0% · 66
- White7.1% · 47
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Miyazaki
Miyazaki 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
#33,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 682
+21 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 707 places
2020
#36,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 661
-21 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 2,987 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,743 | 661 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #33,450 | 682 | 0.23 | +21 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 707 places |
| 2020 | #36,437 | 661 | 0.22 | -21 bearers (-3.1%) | Down 2,987 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 Miyazaki 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 | #33,450 | #36,437 | -8.9% |
| Count | 682 | 661 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.23 | 0.22 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Miyazaki bearers went from 682 to 661 (-3.1% change). The surname moved down 2,987 positions in the national ranking, going from #33,450 to #36,437.
FAQ
Miyazaki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Miyazaki?
Name Census estimates that about 758 living Americans carry the surname Miyazaki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 452,183 residents.
How common is Miyazaki?
Miyazaki ranks #36,437 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 661 people with the surname Miyazaki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (758), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Miyazaki.
Has Miyazaki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Miyazaki went from 682 recorded bearers to 661. That is a decrease of 21 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #33,450 to #36,437.
What does the Census say about the background of Miyazaki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Miyazaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.0%) and White (7.1%). 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 Miyazaki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (533 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Miyazaki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (80.6%), Two or More Races (10.0%), White (7.1%). 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 Miyazaki (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 Miyazaki mean?
A Japanese surname derived from the place name, meaning "holy frontier village". 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 Miyazaki (0.22 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 are called Miyazaki?
Find out how many people are called Miyazaki on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.