2000
#12,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,303
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Sakai
A Japanese surname referring to someone who lived near a border or boundary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,345 Americans carry the last name Sakai. That puts it at #14,107 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,164 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sakai surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,164
Census rank
#14,107
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,045 bearers of the surname Sakai in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14107th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sakai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.7%) and White (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sakai
The surname Sakai originated from Japan and dates back to ancient times. It is believed to have derived from the city of Sakai, located in Osaka Prefecture. This city was a prominent trading hub during the Kamakura period (1185-1333) and was known for its textile industry.
The name Sakai may have its roots in the Japanese word "saka," which means "slope" or "hill." This could indicate that the name initially referred to someone who lived on a hillside or near a sloped area. Alternatively, it may have been derived from the verb "saku," meaning "to bloom" or "to flourish," suggesting a connection to agriculture or horticulture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Sakai name can be found in the Kamakura-era text "Azuma Kagami" (Mirror of the East), which chronicles the history of the Kamakura shogunate. This text mentions a samurai named Sakai Yoritsuna, who lived in the 13th century and served under the Hojo clan.
During the Sengoku period (1467-1615), a notable figure named Sakai Masahiro (1528-1586) gained recognition as a skilled military strategist and advisor to the powerful warlord Oda Nobunaga. Sakai Masahiro played a crucial role in several battles and is remembered for his strategic acumen.
In the Edo period (1603-1868), the Sakai clan established itself as a prominent family of samurai warriors and administrators. One notable member was Sakai Tadayo (1662-1726), who served as a daimyo (feudal lord) and governed the Hiroshima domain during the early 18th century.
Another significant figure bearing the Sakai name was Sakai Masayo (1776-1848), a renowned scholar and educator during the late Edo period. He established a private academy called the Kangien and contributed to the advancement of education and intellectual pursuits.
In the modern era, the Sakai surname has been carried by numerous accomplished individuals, including Sakai Toshihiko (1870-1933), a prominent businessman and industrialist who played a pivotal role in the development of Japan's steel industry.
Throughout its history, the Sakai surname has been associated with various place names, such as Sakai City in Osaka Prefecture, Sakai District in Fukui Prefecture, and Sakai Village in Ibaraki Prefecture, among others. These place names likely originated from the same linguistic roots as the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sakai
Among Census respondents with the surname Sakai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.7%) and White (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sakai bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Sakai surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander78.3% · 1,602
- Two or more races10.7% · 219
- White7.2% · 148
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 66
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sakai
Sakai appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,287
-16 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 961 places
2020
#14,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,045
-242 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 773 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,373 | 2,303 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,334 | 2,287 | 0.78 | -16 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 961 places |
| 2020 | #14,107 | 2,045 | 0.68 | -242 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 773 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Sakai surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,334 | #14,107 | -5.8% |
| Count | 2,287 | 2,045 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.68 | -12.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sakai bearers went from 2,287 to 2,045 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 773 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,334 to #14,107.
FAQ
Sakai surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sakai?
Name Census estimates that about 2,345 living Americans carry the surname Sakai. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,164 residents.
How common is Sakai?
Sakai ranks #14,107 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,045 people with the surname Sakai. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,345), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sakai.
Has Sakai become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sakai went from 2,287 recorded bearers to 2,045. That is a decrease of 242 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,334 to #14,107.
What does the Census say about the background of Sakai?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sakai, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.7%) and White (7.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sakai in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.3% (1,602 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sakai appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (78.3%), Two or More Races (10.7%), White (7.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Sakai (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Sakai mean?
A Japanese surname referring to someone who lived near a border or boundary. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Sakai (0.68 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Sakai?
Want to know how common the surname Sakai is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.