2000
#106,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 155
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Saruwatari
A Japanese surname meaning "to traverse or cross the marsh".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 200 Americans carry the last name Saruwatari. That puts it at #108,494 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,713,772 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Saruwatari 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
200
1 in 1,713,772
Census rank
#108,494
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
174
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 174 bearers of the surname Saruwatari in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 108494th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Saruwatari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.8%) and White (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Saruwatari
The surname SARUWATARI is of Japanese origin, originating in the 16th century or earlier. It is believed to have derived from the words "saru" meaning monkey and "watari" meaning crossing or passage, likely referring to a person or family associated with a particular location involving monkeys or a place known for its monkeys.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname SARUWATARI can be found in the Bakumatsu period (1853-1867) records from the Edo region, now part of modern-day Tokyo. These records mention a SARUWATARI family residing in a village near a mountain pass frequently traversed by wild monkeys.
Historical references to the SARUWATARI name are sparse, but it is known that in the late 17th century, a SARUWATARI Hideaki (1657-1734) was a renowned calligrapher and painter from Kyoto. His works are still preserved in several museums and private collections.
In the 19th century, a SARUWATARI Yoshihiro (1825-1891) was a prominent scholar and educator who helped establish one of the first modern schools in Japan, incorporating Western teaching methods and curricula.
During the Meiji period (1868-1912), a SARUWATARI Takeo (1870-1932) was a successful businessman who owned several silk trading companies and was involved in the export of Japanese silk to Europe and North America.
Another notable figure was SARUWATARI Katsuko (1905-1992), a pioneering female journalist and activist who advocated for women's rights and social reforms in the early 20th century.
In more recent times, SARUWATARI Masahiro (1928-2010) was a renowned architect and urban planner who designed several iconic buildings and public spaces in major Japanese cities, including Tokyo and Osaka.
While the SARUWATARI surname is not among the most common in Japan, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Saruwatari
Among Census respondents with the surname Saruwatari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.8%) and White (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Saruwatari 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 Saruwatari surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander74.7% · 130
- Two or more races9.8% · 17
- White6.9% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 11
- Black or African American1.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Saruwatari
Saruwatari 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
#110,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 160
+5 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 3,809 places
2020
#108,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174
+14 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 1,792 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #106,477 | 155 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,286 | 160 | 0.05 | +5 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 3,809 places |
| 2020 | #108,494 | 174 | 0.06 | +14 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 1,792 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 Saruwatari 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 | #110,286 | #108,494 | 1.6% |
| Count | 160 | 174 | 8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Saruwatari bearers went from 160 to 174 (+8.8% change). The surname moved up 1,792 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,286 to #108,494.
FAQ
Saruwatari surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Saruwatari?
Name Census estimates that about 200 living Americans carry the surname Saruwatari. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,713,772 residents.
How common is Saruwatari?
Saruwatari ranks #108,494 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 174 people with the surname Saruwatari. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (200), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Saruwatari.
Has Saruwatari become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Saruwatari went from 160 recorded bearers to 174. That is an increase of 14 (+8.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #110,286 to #108,494.
What does the Census say about the background of Saruwatari?
Among Census respondents with the surname Saruwatari, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.8%) and White (6.9%). 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 Saruwatari in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.7% (130 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Saruwatari appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (74.7%), Two or More Races (9.8%), White (6.9%). 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 Saruwatari (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 Saruwatari mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "to traverse or cross the marsh". 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 Saruwatari (0.06 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 Saruwatari?
If you just want to know how many people are called Saruwatari, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.