Find out how popular the last name Okano is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Okano.

Okano, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Okano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Okano in America

Okano is the 42378th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Okano surname appeared 512 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Okano.

We can also compare 2010 data for Okano to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Okano

The surname OKANO has its origins in Japan, tracing back to the late 16th century. The name was initially found in the Okayama region of western Japan, derived from the Japanese words "oka" meaning hill or small mountain, and "no" indicating possession or belonging to, suggesting the name may have been associated with families residing in hilly areas or near foothills.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the OKANO surname can be found in the Okayama-han feudal records from the late 1500s, where it was spelled as "岡野" using the Japanese kanji characters. The name was also present in various local census records and land ownership documents during the Edo period (1603-1868).

A notable early figure with the OKANO surname was Okano Yasunori (1559-1639), a samurai warrior who served under the famous daimyo (feudal lord) Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the late Sengoku period. Okano Yasunori played a significant role in several battles and was later granted land and titles for his loyalty.

In the 18th century, Okano Kinsaku (1703-1775) was a prominent scholar and calligrapher who contributed to the preservation of traditional Japanese arts and literature. His works and teachings were highly influential within the Okayama region and beyond.

During the Meiji era (1868-1912), Okano Masujiro (1838-1911) was a notable entrepreneur who founded one of the earliest modern textile companies in Japan, the Okano Spinning Mill, which played a pivotal role in the industrialization of the country.

Another prominent figure with the OKANO surname was Okano Tomiko (1915-2001), a celebrated writer and poet who gained recognition for her lyrical works that explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. Her poetry collections, such as "Hana no Kaze" (Wind of Flowers), were widely acclaimed and earned her numerous literary awards.

Throughout its history, the OKANO surname has also been associated with various place names in Japan, such as Okano-cho (a town in Hiroshima Prefecture) and Okano-mura (a village in Gifu Prefecture), suggesting that branches of the family may have settled in different regions over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Okano

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Okano.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Okano was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Okano has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Okano was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Okano, please contact us.

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