2000
#14,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,954
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Morita
A Japanese surname meaning "forest rice paddy," referring to someone who lived near or worked in such an area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,955 Americans carry the last name Morita. That puts it at #16,374 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 175,322 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Morita 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
2.0K
1 in 175,322
Census rank
#16,374
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,705 bearers of the surname Morita in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16374th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Morita, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.1%) and White (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Morita
The surname Morita originated in Japan, where it has been recorded since the 8th century AD. It is derived from the Japanese words "mori", meaning "forest", and "ta", meaning "rice field". This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a forested area with rice fields.
In medieval Japanese records, the earliest known bearers of the name Morita were samurai warriors from the Kanto region, which includes present-day Tokyo. One of the first recorded instances was Morita Tsunenari, a samurai who served under the Kamakura shogunate in the late 12th century.
The Morita name also appears in several historical texts and chronicles from the Edo period (1603-1868), indicating its prevalence among the warrior class and lesser nobility of that era. Notable figures include Morita Masatake (1608-1673), a daimyo (feudal lord) who governed the Choshu Domain in western Japan.
During the Meiji era (1868-1912), the Morita family produced several prominent scholars and intellectuals. Morita Shiken (1844-1901) was a renowned Confucian philosopher and educator, while Morita Kanya (1846-1919) was a pioneering female writer and advocate for women's rights.
In the 20th century, the Morita surname gained international recognition through the achievements of Akio Morita (1921-1999), the co-founder of Sony Corporation. He played a pivotal role in transforming Sony into a global electronics giant and is widely regarded as one of Japan's most influential business leaders.
Another notable Morita was Yuki Morita (1918-1998), a celebrated Japanese writer and poet who received numerous literary awards for her works exploring themes of identity, memory, and the human condition.
While the Morita name has its roots in ancient Japan, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its historical significance and connection to Japanese heritage remain deeply ingrained in its origins and evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Morita
Among Census respondents with the surname Morita, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.1%) and White (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Morita 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 Morita surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander74.3% · 1,266
- Two or more races11.1% · 190
- White8.0% · 137
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 107
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Morita
Morita 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
#14,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,986
+32 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 775 places
2020
#16,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,705
-281 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 1,472 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,127 | 1,954 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,902 | 1,986 | 0.67 | +32 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 775 places |
| 2020 | #16,374 | 1,705 | 0.57 | -281 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 1,472 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 Morita 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 | #14,902 | #16,374 | -9.9% |
| Count | 1,986 | 1,705 | -14.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.57 | -14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Morita bearers went from 1,986 to 1,705 (-14.1% change). The surname moved down 1,472 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,902 to #16,374.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Morita
FAQ
Morita surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Morita?
Name Census estimates that about 1,955 living Americans carry the surname Morita. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 175,322 residents.
How common is Morita?
Morita ranks #16,374 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,705 people with the surname Morita. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,955), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Morita.
Has Morita become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Morita went from 1,986 recorded bearers to 1,705. That is a decrease of 281 (-14.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,902 to #16,374.
What does the Census say about the background of Morita?
Among Census respondents with the surname Morita, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.1%) and White (8.0%). 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 Morita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (1,266 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Morita appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (74.3%), Two or More Races (11.1%), White (8.0%). 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 Morita (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 Morita mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "forest rice paddy," referring to someone who lived near or worked in such an area. 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 Morita (0.57 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 surname Morita?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.