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

Otsuka, 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 Otsuka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Otsuka in America

Otsuka is the 29878th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Otsuka surname appeared 786 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 Otsuka.

We can also compare 2010 data for Otsuka 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 Otsuka

The surname Otsuka originates from Japan and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is a locational name derived from the Japanese word "otsuka," which means "big mound" or "big hill." This suggests that the name was originally given to families living near a prominent hill or raised area of land.

In ancient Japanese records, the earliest known mention of the Otsuka name appears in a document from the Muromachi period (1336-1573), referring to a samurai warrior from the Otsuka clan. The name is also found in various regional records and manuscripts from the Edo period (1603-1868), indicating its widespread use across different parts of Japan.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Otsuka surname was Otsuka Masatsuna (1639-1703), a renowned calligrapher and painter from the Edo period. Another notable figure was Otsuka Kinmochi (1744-1808), a scholar and educator who played a significant role in the development of the Japanese education system during the late Edo period.

During the Meiji era (1868-1912), the Otsuka name gained prominence with individuals like Otsuka Yasunosuke (1868-1940), a successful businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company, one of Japan's largest pharmaceutical firms.

The Otsuka surname has also been associated with notable figures in the arts and literature. Otsuka Sumie (1902-1994) was a renowned novelist and poet known for her works exploring themes of feminism and social issues. Otsuka Sakae (1905-1962) was a celebrated painter and printmaker who helped popularize the traditional Japanese woodblock printing technique.

In the field of sports, Otsuka Hiroshi (1936-2022) was a highly respected baseball player and manager who played for the Yomiuri Giants and managed the Japanese national baseball team, leading them to victory in the 1984 Summer Olympics.

Throughout its history, the Otsuka surname has maintained a strong presence in Japan, with various branches and families contributing to various aspects of Japanese society, culture, and industry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Otsuka

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

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

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

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