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

Okimoto, 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 Okimoto surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Okimoto in America

Okimoto is the 35945th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Okimoto surname appeared 624 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 Okimoto.

We can also compare 2010 data for Okimoto 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 Okimoto

The surname Okimoto is of Japanese origin and dates back to the late 15th century. It originated in the Okayama and Hiroshima prefectures of western Japan. The name Okimoto is derived from the Japanese words "oki" meaning "offing" or "open sea" and "moto" meaning "origin" or "source". Together, the name Okimoto roughly translates to "from the open sea".

In historical records, the earliest known reference to the Okimoto surname is found in the Hinokuchiya Monjo, a collection of documents from a prominent merchant family in Okayama dating back to the late Muromachi period (1336-1573). The name appears in these documents in its original Japanese kanji form, 沖本.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Okimoto surname was Okimoto Kinsuke, a samurai who served under the Mori clan in the late 16th century. He was known for his skill in naval warfare and is believed to have been given the name Okimoto due to his expertise in maritime combat.

Another notable figure from history bearing the Okimoto name was Okimoto Ikkansai, a Zen Buddhist monk and poet who lived in the early 17th century. He was known for his haiku poetry and was a respected figure in the literary circles of his time.

In the 19th century, Okimoto Takahiro was a prominent businessman and entrepreneur from Hiroshima. He founded a successful sake brewing company and was instrumental in the modernization of the sake industry in Japan.

During the Meiji period (1868-1912), Okimoto Ichizaemon was a renowned educator and advocate for women's education. He founded one of the first schools for girls in Okayama and worked tirelessly to promote educational opportunities for women in Japan.

Another figure of note is Okimoto Toshio, a Japanese diplomat who served as ambassador to several countries in the early 20th century, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Okimoto. While the name originated in western Japan, it has since spread across the country and can be found in various regions today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Okimoto

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

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

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

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