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

Oshita, 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 Oshita surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oshita in America

Oshita is the 48347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oshita surname appeared 437 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 Oshita.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oshita 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 Oshita

The surname OSHITA is of Japanese origin, originating in the 16th century or earlier. It is believed to have derived from the words "oshi" meaning to push or press, and "ta" meaning rice field or paddy. This suggests the name may have originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked in rice cultivation, possibly operating a tool or machine used to press or flatten the rice fields.

The earliest known records of the OSHITA name appear in historical documents from the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan. Variations of the spelling include Ooshita, O'shita, and Ōshita. Some branches of the family may have adopted the name after migrating from one region to another within Japan.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the OSHITA surname was Oshita Masanobu, a samurai and retainer of the Tokugawa shogunate who lived from 1595 to 1657. He served under Tokugawa Ieyasu and took part in the Siege of Osaka in 1615.

In the 18th century, Oshita Tōyō (1718-1787) was a renowned scholar and philosopher of the Shinto religion. His writings and teachings had a significant influence on the development of Shinto thought during the Edo period.

During the Meiji era (1868-1912), Oshita Udaji (1865-1924) was a prominent politician and served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan from 1920 to 1924.

In the early 20th century, Oshita Shōzō (1892-1975) was a notable artist and painter who specialized in traditional Japanese ink wash painting. His works are highly regarded and can be found in museums and private collections around the world.

Another individual of note was Oshita Akiko (1920-2012), a celebrated author and poet who was active in the post-World War II literary scene in Japan. Her novels and poems explored themes of identity, family, and the human experience, earning her numerous awards and accolades.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oshita

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

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

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

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