2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Motonaga
A Japanese surname possibly derived from a placename or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Motonaga. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Motonaga 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Motonaga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Motonaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (23.5%) and White (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Motonaga
The surname MOTONAGA originates from Japan and can be traced back to the 8th century CE. It is believed to have derived from the Japanese words "moto" meaning origin or source, and "naga" meaning long or eternal, potentially signifying a lineage or family of enduring prominence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MOTONAGA name appears in the Shoku Nihongi, an ancient Japanese chronicle dating back to the late 8th century. The text mentions a samurai warrior named MOTONAGA Sadamitsu who fought valiantly in battles against the Emishi people of northern Japan.
During the Heian period (794-1185 CE), the MOTONAGA family is said to have been a prominent clan in the Kanto region, near present-day Tokyo. Historical records indicate that a MOTONAGA Michitomo served as a provincial governor in the late 10th century.
In the 12th century, a MOTONAGA Tsunemitsu is noted as being a skilled swordsmith who crafted blades for several high-ranking samurai families. His work was renowned for its exceptional quality and durability.
The MOTONAGA name also appears in several Noh plays and traditional Japanese literature from the Muromachi period (1336-1573 CE), often associated with characters of noble birth or military prowess.
Notable individuals with the MOTONAGA surname include:
1. MOTONAGA Morihiro (1577-1644), a prominent Daimyo (feudal lord) who ruled over the Aizu domain in present-day Fukushima Prefecture.
2. MOTONAGA Kunihiro (1683-1737), a celebrated Haiku poet and scholar of the Edo period.
3. MOTONAGA Shikitaro (1798-1868), a skilled architect who designed several iconic temples and shrines in Kyoto and Nara.
4. MOTONAGA Toshiko (1912-1944), a renowned novelist and feminist writer whose works explored themes of women's rights and societal oppression.
5. MOTONAGA Sadamasa (1922-2001), a highly influential painter and sculptor who was a leading figure in the Gutai avant-garde art movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Motonaga
Among Census respondents with the surname Motonaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (23.5%) and White (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Motonaga 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 Motonaga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander73.5% · 75
- Two or more races23.5% · 24
- White2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Motonaga
Motonaga 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,663 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 152 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 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 6,663 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 152 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 Motonaga 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 | #154,907 | #154,755 | 0.1% |
| Count | 105 | 102 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Motonaga bearers went from 105 to 102 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #154,755.
FAQ
Motonaga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Motonaga?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Motonaga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Motonaga?
Motonaga ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Motonaga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Motonaga.
Has Motonaga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Motonaga went from 105 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Motonaga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Motonaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (23.5%) and White (2.0%). 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 Motonaga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.5% (75 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Motonaga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (73.5%), Two or More Races (23.5%), White (2.0%). 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 Motonaga (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 Motonaga mean?
A Japanese surname possibly derived from a placename or occupation. 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 Motonaga (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 people have the surname Motonaga?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.