2000
#10,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,790
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Sakamoto
A Japanese surname meaning "base, origin, or root of the hill or slope."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,948 Americans carry the last name Sakamoto. That puts it at #11,673 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,267 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sakamoto 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
2.9K
1 in 116,267
Census rank
#11,673
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,571 bearers of the surname Sakamoto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11673rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sakamoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and White (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sakamoto
The surname Sakamoto originated in Japan and is believed to have been derived from the Japanese words "saka" meaning "slope" or "hill" and "moto" meaning "origin" or "source." This suggests that the name may have referred to people who lived near or originated from a hill or sloped area.
The earliest recorded instances of the Sakamoto surname can be traced back to the late 12th century during the Kamakura period in Japan. It is documented in historical records and family genealogies from that time, indicating its long-standing presence in Japanese society.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Sakamoto surname was Sakamoto Mochizane, a prominent courtier and scholar who lived during the late Heian period (794-1185). He served as a tutor to the imperial court and was renowned for his literary talents.
In the 16th century, during the Sengoku period, the Sakamoto clan emerged as a prominent samurai family in the Tosa Domain (present-day Kochi Prefecture). Sakamoto Nobumori, born in 1510, was a prominent daimyo (feudal lord) and military commander who played a significant role in the region's political affairs.
Another notable figure with the Sakamoto surname was Sakamoto Ryoma, a prominent samurai and influential figure in the Bakumatsu period (1853-1867). Born in 1836, he played a crucial role in the events leading to the Meiji Restoration, which marked the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the transition to the modern era of Japan.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Sakamoto family had branches in various regions of Japan, including Echizen (present-day Fukui Prefecture) and Kozuke (present-day Gunma Prefecture). Sakamoto Kōkichi, born in 1755, was a prominent scholar and Confucian philosopher from the Echizen branch.
In more recent history, Sakamoto Ryuichi, born in 1952, is a renowned Japanese singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has had a successful music career spanning several decades and is widely recognized for his contributions to the Japanese music industry.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the Sakamoto surname throughout Japanese history, showcasing the name's long-standing presence and significance in various fields and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sakamoto
Among Census respondents with the surname Sakamoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and White (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sakamoto 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 Sakamoto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander76.9% · 1,977
- Two or more races12.1% · 310
- White6.7% · 172
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 103
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sakamoto
Sakamoto 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
#11,478
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,741
-49 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 930 places
2020
#11,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,571
-170 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,548 | 2,790 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,478 | 2,741 | 0.93 | -49 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 930 places |
| 2020 | #11,673 | 2,571 | 0.86 | -170 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 195 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 Sakamoto 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 | #11,478 | #11,673 | -1.7% |
| Count | 2,741 | 2,571 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.93 | 0.86 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sakamoto bearers went from 2,741 to 2,571 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 195 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,478 to #11,673.
FAQ
Sakamoto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sakamoto?
Name Census estimates that about 2,948 living Americans carry the surname Sakamoto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,267 residents.
How common is Sakamoto?
Sakamoto ranks #11,673 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,571 people with the surname Sakamoto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,948), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Sakamoto.
Has Sakamoto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sakamoto went from 2,741 recorded bearers to 2,571. That is a decrease of 170 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,478 to #11,673.
What does the Census say about the background of Sakamoto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sakamoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and White (6.7%). 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 Sakamoto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (1,977 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sakamoto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (76.9%), Two or More Races (12.1%), White (6.7%). 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 Sakamoto (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 Sakamoto mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "base, origin, or root of the hill or slope." 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 Sakamoto (0.86 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 Sakamoto?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Sakamoto at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.