2000
#47,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 420
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Sawada
A locational surname indicating one's origin from a sawmill town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 485 Americans carry the last name Sawada. That puts it at #52,889 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 706,710 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sawada 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
485
1 in 706,710
Census rank
#52,889
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
423
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 423 bearers of the surname Sawada in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52889th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sawada, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.9%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sawada
The surname Sawada originated in Japan and can be traced back to the early 8th century CE. It is believed to be derived from the Japanese words "sawa," meaning "marsh" or "swamp," and "da," meaning "rice field." This suggests that the name likely originated from a geographic location or region characterized by marshlands or wetlands suitable for rice cultivation.
During the Heian period (794-1185 CE), the Sawada clan emerged as a prominent samurai family in the Kanto region of eastern Japan. Historical records from this era mention several notable figures bearing the Sawada name, including Sawada Nobuyuki (1050-1122), a skilled military strategist who served under the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War.
In the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE), the Sawada clan continued to play an influential role in the region's affairs. One notable figure was Sawada Masatomo (1205-1278), a skilled archer and warrior who fought alongside the Hojo clan during the Mongol invasions of Japan in the 13th century.
The Sawada name is also found in ancient Japanese literature and manuscripts, such as the "Taiheiki" (Chronicle of Great Peace), a 14th-century military chronicle that chronicled the events of the Nanbokucho period (1336-1392 CE). This work mentions Sawada Nobusada (1310-1378), a skilled military commander who fought in the wars between the Northern and Southern Courts.
In the Edo period (1603-1868 CE), the Sawada clan continued to serve as samurai retainers under various daimyo (feudal lords) across Japan. One notable figure from this era was Sawada Nobutaka (1629-1702), a skilled swordsman and martial artist who authored several influential treatises on swordsmanship and strategy.
Other notable individuals with the Sawada surname include Sawada Shuzo (1892-1929), a renowned Japanese sculptor and woodcarver known for his intricate and detailed works, and Sawada Masumi (1929-2008), a celebrated Japanese novelist and essayist whose works explored themes of identity, gender, and societal norms.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sawada
Among Census respondents with the surname Sawada, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.9%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sawada 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 Sawada surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander83.9% · 355
- White8.7% · 37
- Two or more races4.7% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 8
- Black or African American0.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sawada
Sawada 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
#51,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 408
-12 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 3,581 places
2020
#52,889
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 423
+15 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 1,823 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,485 | 420 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #51,066 | 408 | 0.14 | -12 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 3,581 places |
| 2020 | #52,889 | 423 | 0.14 | +15 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 1,823 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 Sawada 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 | #51,066 | #52,889 | -3.6% |
| Count | 408 | 423 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.14 | 1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sawada bearers went from 408 to 423 (+3.7% change). The surname moved down 1,823 positions in the national ranking, going from #51,066 to #52,889.
FAQ
Sawada surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sawada?
Name Census estimates that about 485 living Americans carry the surname Sawada. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 706,710 residents.
How common is Sawada?
Sawada ranks #52,889 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 423 people with the surname Sawada. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (485), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Sawada.
Has Sawada become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sawada went from 408 recorded bearers to 423. That is an increase of 15 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #51,066 to #52,889.
What does the Census say about the background of Sawada?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sawada, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 83.9%. The next largest groups are White (8.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Sawada in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (355 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sawada appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (83.9%), White (8.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Sawada (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 Sawada mean?
A locational surname indicating one's origin from a sawmill town. 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 Sawada (0.14 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 common is the surname Sawada?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Sawada at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.