2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sakamaki
A Japanese surname derived from a location name or natural scenery description.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Sakamaki. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sakamaki 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Sakamaki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sakamaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.4%) and Hispanic (7.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sakamaki
The surname SAKAMAKI is of Japanese origin, originating from the Edo period (1603-1868). It is believed to have originated in the Kansai region of western Japan, particularly in areas around Kyoto and Osaka.
The name SAKAMAKI is a combination of two Japanese words: "saka" meaning slope or hill, and "maki" meaning a winding or encircling path. This suggests that the name may have referred to a location or settlement situated on a winding hill or slope.
In historical records, the earliest known reference to the SAKAMAKI surname dates back to the late 17th century. It appears in a registry of landowners and artisans in the Kyoto region, indicating that the name was associated with a family of skilled craftsmen or tradesmen during that era.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the SAKAMAKI name was Sakamaki Toshitsune (1645-1721), a renowned swordsmith from Kyoto. His swords were highly prized by samurai warriors and are still regarded as masterpieces of Japanese craftsmanship today.
Another notable SAKAMAKI was Sakamaki Hyoemon (1786-1864), a successful merchant and landowner from Osaka. He played a crucial role in developing the city's textile industry and is credited with establishing several silk-weaving workshops that employed hundreds of workers.
In the late 19th century, during the Meiji Restoration, Sakamaki Masanori (1832-1901) was a prominent politician and diplomat who served as the governor of several provinces and helped facilitate Japan's transition to a modern nation-state.
More recently, Sakamaki Ryuzo (1899-1988) was a renowned linguist and scholar of classical Japanese literature. He made significant contributions to the study and preservation of ancient texts and was awarded the prestigious Order of Culture by the Japanese government.
Another notable figure was Sakamaki Shunzo (1906-1973), a pioneering aviator and naval officer who participated in the historic Doolittle Raid on Tokyo during World War II. He was captured and imprisoned by the Japanese military but survived the ordeal and later became an advocate for peace and reconciliation between Japan and the United States.
While the SAKAMAKI surname is not among the most common in Japan, it has a rich history and has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, including the arts, commerce, politics, and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sakamaki
Among Census respondents with the surname Sakamaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.4%) and Hispanic (7.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sakamaki 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 Sakamaki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander74.4% · 87
- Two or more races15.4% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 9
- White1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sakamaki
Sakamaki appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+6 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,077 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.4%) | Up 4,077 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 Sakamaki 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 | #148,347 | #144,270 | 2.7% |
| Count | 111 | 117 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sakamaki bearers went from 111 to 117 (+5.4% change). The surname moved up 4,077 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #144,270.
FAQ
Sakamaki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sakamaki?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Sakamaki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Sakamaki?
Sakamaki ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Sakamaki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sakamaki.
Has Sakamaki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sakamaki went from 111 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 6 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Sakamaki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sakamaki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.4%) and Hispanic (7.7%). 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 Sakamaki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.4% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sakamaki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (74.4%), Two or More Races (15.4%), Hispanic (7.7%). 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 Sakamaki (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 Sakamaki mean?
A Japanese surname derived from a location name or natural scenery description. 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 Sakamaki (0.04 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 share the surname Sakamaki?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.