Oshiro last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Oshiro

A Japanese toponymic surname meaning "large castle," referring to someone who lived near an impressive or important castle.

Oshiro, 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 Oshiro surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oshiro in America

Oshiro is the 10155th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oshiro surname appeared 3,177 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Oshiro.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oshiro 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 10155 9340 8.36%
Count 3,177 3,202 -0.78%
Proportion per 100k 1.08 1.19 -9.69%

The history of the last name Oshiro

The surname OSHIRO has its origins in Japan and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the Okinawan place name "Oshiro," which means "big castle" or "large fortress." This place name likely referred to a prominent castle or fortified structure in the region during that time period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the OSHIRO surname can be found in the historical records of the Ryukyu Kingdom, which ruled over the Okinawan islands from the 15th to the 19th century. These records mention several individuals with the OSHIRO name, suggesting that it was a well-established surname in the region.

The OSHIRO surname has also been linked to the village of Oshiro, located in the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa Prefecture. This village likely derived its name from the same root as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the local geography.

In terms of notable individuals with the OSHIRO surname, one of the earliest recorded was Oshiro Anken (1677-1751), a prominent Okinawan scholar and poet who made significant contributions to the literary and cultural traditions of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Another prominent figure was Oshiro Chojo (1833-1908), a renowned Okinawan martial artist and teacher who played a crucial role in the preservation and dissemination of traditional Okinawan martial arts, such as Karate.

In the modern era, Oshiro Tatsuhiro (1925-2020) was a highly respected Okinawan politician and activist who advocated for the rights and recognition of the Okinawan people. He served as a member of the House of Representatives in Japan from 1972 to 1996.

Oshiro Kenichi (1955-) is a contemporary Japanese artist known for his abstract and minimalist paintings. His works have been exhibited internationally and are part of numerous museum collections.

Lastly, Oshiro Masayuki (1971-) is a former professional baseball player who played in the Nippon Professional Baseball league for over a decade, primarily as an outfielder for the Orix BlueWave and Yakult Swallows teams.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oshiro

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

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 Oshiro was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 3.97% 126
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.19% 6
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 79.76% 2,534
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.25% 8
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 10.51% 334
Hispanic Origin 5.32% 169

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 Oshiro has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 3.97% 3.75% 5.70%
Black 0.19% 0.16% 17.14%
Asian and Pacific Islander 79.76% 85.29% -6.70%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.25% 0.22% 12.77%
Two or More Races 10.51% 7.18% 37.65%
Hispanic 5.32% 3.40% 44.04%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Oshiro last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 15, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/oshiro-surname-popularity/.

"Oshiro last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/oshiro-surname-popularity/. Accessed 15 October, 2024

Oshiro last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/oshiro-surname-popularity/.

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