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

Sagawa, 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 Sagawa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sagawa in America

Sagawa is the 124548th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sagawa surname appeared 138 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 Sagawa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sagawa 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 Sagawa

The surname Sagawa is of Japanese origin, originating from a place name in the Kanagawa Prefecture located in the Kanto region of central Honshu, Japan's largest island. The name Sagawa is believed to have derived from the Japanese words 'sa' meaning 'slope' and 'gawa' meaning 'river', referring to a sloping riverbank or valley where the earliest bearers of the name may have resided.

Records show the Sagawa name appearing in various historical documents dating back to the Kamakura period (1185-1333) in Japan. Some of the earliest mentions of the name can be found in land ownership records and samurai family registries from that era. The Sagawa name was particularly prevalent among samurai clans and minor nobility in the Kanagawa and Shizuoka regions of central Japan during the medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the Sagawa surname was Sagawa Yoshiyasu, a 14th-century samurai warrior who served under the Ashikaga shogunate. Sagawa Yoshiyasu was noted for his bravery in battle and his loyalty to the shogun. Another notable figure was Sagawa Michiyuki, a 16th-century poet and calligrapher whose works were widely celebrated during the Azuchi-Momoyama period.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Sagawa family continued to hold influence and land holdings in the Kanagawa region. Sagawa Hiroyuki, born in 1712, was a renowned scholar and physician who authored several influential medical texts. His grandson, Sagawa Kiyonao (1788-1856), was a prominent educator and Confucian scholar who established a respected private academy in Edo (modern-day Tokyo).

In the late 19th century, Sagawa Josui (1845-1924) was a prominent journalist and political activist who played a key role in the Freedom and People's Rights Movement, advocating for democracy and civil liberties in Japan during the Meiji era. Sagawa Josui's writings and speeches helped shape public opinion and contributed to the eventual establishment of a constitutional monarchy in Japan.

Throughout its history, the Sagawa surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including samurai warriors, scholars, artists, and political figures, all of whom contributed to the rich cultural heritage of Japan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sagawa

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

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

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

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