2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Mizusawa
A Japanese surname derived from a geographical location name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Mizusawa. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mizusawa 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Mizusawa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mizusawa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and White (7.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mizusawa
The surname Mizusawa is of Japanese origin, dating back to the medieval period in Japan. It is believed to have originated from a place name, possibly referring to a town or village located near a water source, such as a river or stream. The prefix "mizu" means "water" in Japanese, while "sawa" can mean "marsh" or "swamp."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Mizusawa surname can be found in the Kamakura period (1185-1333), where it is mentioned in some local records and tax registers. During this time, surnames were becoming more widespread among the samurai class and other influential families.
In the Muromachi period (1336-1573), there are references to several notable figures bearing the Mizusawa name. One such individual was Mizusawa Nobuyuki (1452-1523), a samurai and retainer of the powerful Imagawa clan. He played a crucial role in several battles during the Sengoku period, which was an era of intense military conflicts in Japan.
Another notable Mizusawa was Mizusawa Katsutoshi (1567-1642), a scholar and poet who served as a court official during the early Edo period. His literary works, particularly his haiku poems, gained widespread recognition and influenced the development of Japanese literature.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Mizusawa family was known for their involvement in various trades and crafts. Mizusawa Masanobu (1698-1781), for instance, was a renowned woodblock print artist and painter who contributed significantly to the ukiyo-e art movement.
In the 19th century, Mizusawa Toshitada (1812-1891) was a prominent figure in the Bakumatsu period, which marked the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. He served as a high-ranking official and played a crucial role in the political transitions that led to the Meiji Restoration.
Throughout history, the Mizusawa surname has been associated with various occupations and social classes, from samurai warriors to artists, scholars, and government officials. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Japan, the name has endured and continues to be a part of Japanese cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mizusawa
Among Census respondents with the surname Mizusawa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and White (7.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mizusawa 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 Mizusawa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander77.4% · 89
- Two or more races11.3% · 13
- White7.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mizusawa
Mizusawa 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+14 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 2,949 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-19 bearers (-14.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +14 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 2,949 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.2%) | Down 18,263 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 Mizusawa 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 | #127,494 | #145,757 | -14.3% |
| Count | 134 | 115 | -14.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mizusawa bearers went from 134 to 115 (-14.2% change). The surname moved down 18,263 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #145,757.
FAQ
Mizusawa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mizusawa?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Mizusawa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Mizusawa?
Mizusawa ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Mizusawa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Mizusawa.
Has Mizusawa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mizusawa went from 134 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Mizusawa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mizusawa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and White (7.0%). 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 Mizusawa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.4% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mizusawa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (77.4%), Two or More Races (11.3%), White (7.0%). 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 Mizusawa (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 Mizusawa mean?
A Japanese surname derived from a geographical location 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 Mizusawa (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 common is the surname Mizusawa?
Want to know how many people have the last name Mizusawa? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.