2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Morisaki
A Japanese surname derived from the forest village or clan name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Morisaki. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morisaki 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Morisaki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morisaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.2%) and White (12.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morisaki
The surname "MORISAKI" is of Japanese origin, first appearing in the late 16th century during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. It is believed to have originated from the region of Awa Province, present-day Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. The name is a combination of two words, "mori" meaning forest or grove, and "saki" meaning cape or promontory, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have resided near a forested coastal area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Morisaki name can be found in the "Tokushi Yoroku," a historical record of the Tokushima domain compiled in the early 17th century. This document mentions a samurai named Morisaki Nobuyuki, who served under the local daimyo (feudal lord) in the late 1500s.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Morisaki family was known to have produced several prominent individuals. Morisaki Kazunori (1646-1718) was a renowned scholar and author of the "Tokushima Meisho Zue," a comprehensive guide to the landmarks and historical sites of Tokushima Prefecture. Another notable figure was Morisaki Toshitsugu (1772-1841), a talented calligrapher and artist whose works are still preserved in various collections across Japan.
In the 19th century, Morisaki Yozo (1823-1892) gained recognition as a pioneering educator and advocate for modern teaching methods. He established one of the first private schools in Tokushima, which later became the foundation for the city's public education system.
Moving into the 20th century, Morisaki Kazuo (1892-1976) was a respected writer and literary critic who contributed significantly to the development of modern Japanese literature. His works, such as "Nihon Bungaku Shisoshi" (A History of Japanese Literary Thought), are widely studied in academic circles.
It is worth noting that while the Morisaki name has its roots in Tokushima Prefecture, over the centuries, individuals bearing this surname have spread across Japan and even overseas, contributing to various fields and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morisaki
Among Census respondents with the surname Morisaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.2%) and White (12.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Morisaki 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 Morisaki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander67.0% · 71
- Two or more races14.2% · 15
- White12.3% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morisaki
Morisaki 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+11 bearers (+10.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,043 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-7 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.8%) | Up 2,043 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 6,138 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 Morisaki 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 | #146,201 | #152,339 | -4.2% |
| Count | 113 | 106 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morisaki bearers went from 113 to 106 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 6,138 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #152,339.
FAQ
Morisaki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morisaki?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Morisaki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Morisaki?
Morisaki ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Morisaki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Morisaki.
Has Morisaki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morisaki went from 113 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Morisaki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morisaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.2%) and White (12.3%). 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 Morisaki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.0% (71 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morisaki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (67.0%), Two or More Races (14.2%), White (12.3%). 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 Morisaki (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 Morisaki mean?
A Japanese surname derived from the forest village or clan 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 Morisaki (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 Morisaki?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Morisaki is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.