Find out how popular the last name Shibata is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Shibata.

Shibata, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Shibata surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shibata in America

Shibata is the 21105th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shibata surname appeared 1,244 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Shibata.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shibata to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Shibata

The surname Shibata originates from Japan and is thought to have emerged during the Heian period (794-1185). It is believed to be derived from the Japanese words "shiba" meaning "turf" or "grass" and "ta" meaning "rice field." Thus, Shibata likely referred to an area or village where grassy rice paddies were located.

The name has been recorded in various historical documents and records throughout Japanese history. One of the earliest known references dates back to the Kamakura period (1185-1333), where a samurai named Shibata Akiyoshi is mentioned in the Azuma Kagami, a historical chronicle of the time.

During the Sengoku period (1467-1603), the Shibata clan was a prominent samurai family that controlled lands in present-day Niigata Prefecture. Shibata Katsuie (1522-1583), a renowned military commander who served under Oda Nobunaga, was a member of this clan.

Another notable figure with the surname Shibata was Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891), a celebrated artist and lacquer ware artisan from the late Edo period. His intricate designs and exceptional craftsmanship earned him widespread acclaim and patronage from the imperial court.

In the Meiji era (1868-1912), Shibata Masahiro (1835-1890) was a prominent government official who played a significant role in the modernization and centralization of Japan's administrative system during the early years of the Meiji Restoration.

Shibata Hiromitsu (1887-1967) was a prominent military officer and politician who served as the Chief of the Army General Staff during World War II and later as a member of the House of Representatives in the post-war period.

The name Shibata has also been associated with several place names in Japan, such as Shibata City in Niigata Prefecture, which was likely named after the Shibata clan that controlled the area during the Sengoku period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shibata

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Shibata.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Shibata was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Shibata has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Shibata was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Shibata, please contact us.

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