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

Okazaki, 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 Okazaki surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Okazaki in America

Okazaki is the 25226th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Okazaki surname appeared 982 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 Okazaki.

We can also compare 2010 data for Okazaki 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 Okazaki

The surname Okazaki has its roots in Japan, dating back several centuries. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from the city of Okazaki in the Aichi Prefecture of central Japan. The name itself is composed of two Kanji characters, "oka" meaning "hill" and "zaki" meaning "cape" or "peninsula."

In the early days of Japanese history, surnames were often derived from geographic features or locations, reflecting the feudal system and the importance of land ownership. The Okazaki family may have been prominent landowners or samurai associated with the Okazaki region.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Okazaki name can be found in the "Kokushi Daijiten," a historical dictionary compiled in the late 19th century. This work references an influential samurai family from Okazaki who served the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period (1603-1868).

Notably, Okazaki Katsushige (1564-1612) was a prominent daimyo (feudal lord) and military strategist who played a crucial role in the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate. He was a loyal supporter of Tokugawa Ieyasu and participated in several pivotal battles, including the Siege of Osaka.

Another notable figure bearing the Okazaki surname was Okazaki Kunitatsu (1623-1707), a Confucian scholar and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of wasan, traditional Japanese mathematics. His work, "Fukyu-tetsujutsu," published in 1683, is considered a seminal text in the field.

In the modern era, Okazaki Kiyoshi (1897-1965) was a prominent figure in the development of Japanese judo. He was a direct student of Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, and helped to establish the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo. Okazaki played a crucial role in the global dissemination of judo and is revered as one of the greatest instructors in the history of the martial art.

Okazaki Tomiko (1920-1944) was a Japanese novelist and poet who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of feminism and social justice. Her novel "The Tuning of Gears" and her collection of poems "Sakeba" (If I Cry) are regarded as significant contributions to Japanese literature.

Lastly, Okazaki Kazuo (1940-2021) was a renowned Japanese architect known for his innovative and sustainable designs. He gained international recognition for projects such as the Aomori Museum of Art and the Lotus Square Memorial in Hiroshima, which paid tribute to the victims of the atomic bombing.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Okazaki

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

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 Okazaki 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 Okazaki 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 Okazaki was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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