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

Okinaka, 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 Okinaka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Okinaka in America

Okinaka is the 120901st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Okinaka surname appeared 143 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 Okinaka.

We can also compare 2010 data for Okinaka 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 Okinaka

The surname Okinaka originates from Japan, specifically the Okinawa region of the Ryukyu Islands. It is a Japanese family name with its roots dating back several centuries.

Okinaka is derived from the Okinawan language, which is a distinct branch of the Japonic language family. The name likely stems from a combination of words related to geographical features or occupations common in the Okinawa islands.

While records of the earliest instances of the Okinaka surname are scarce, it is believed to have been present in the region since at least the 16th century during the Ryukyu Kingdom era. This was a time when family names began to solidify in Okinawan society.

One of the earliest known individuals with the Okinaka surname was Okinaka Antei, a prominent Okinawan scholar and poet who lived in the late 17th century. He was renowned for his contributions to the literary arts and preservation of Okinawan culture.

Another notable figure was Okinaka Seisho, an Okinawan martial artist and teacher of Okinawa-te, a precursor to modern-day karate. He lived in the early 19th century and played a significant role in the development and transmission of traditional Okinawan martial arts.

In the late 19th century, Okinaka Tsumugoro was a prominent businessman and landowner from Okinawa. He was instrumental in the economic development of the region during the transition period from the Ryukyu Kingdom to its incorporation into the Japanese Empire.

During the early 20th century, Okinaka Choshin was a renowned Okinawan potter and artist. He was responsible for reviving and preserving traditional Okinawan pottery techniques, which had been in decline.

More recently, Okinaka Shokichi was a celebrated Okinawan author and poet who lived from 1920 to 2007. His works were instrumental in promoting Okinawan literature and cultural identity, both within Japan and internationally.

Overall, the surname Okinaka has a rich history rooted in the cultural traditions and heritage of Okinawa, with bearers of the name contributing significantly to various aspects of Okinawan society throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Okinaka

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

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

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

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