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

Shimada, 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 Shimada surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shimada in America

Shimada is the 25889th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shimada surname appeared 950 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 Shimada.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shimada 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 Shimada

The surname Shimada originates from Japan, dating back to the 8th century. It is believed to have derived from the Japanese words "shima" meaning island and "da" meaning rice field, suggesting that the name likely referred to someone who lived or worked on an island rice field.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Shimada can be traced back to the Nara period (710-794 CE) in Japan, where it appeared in various historical documents and records. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Shimada no Tsunemoto, a samurai warrior who served under the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War (1180-1185 CE).

During the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE), the Shimada clan gained prominence as a powerful samurai family in the Mikawa Province (present-day Aichi Prefecture). They were known for their skilled swordsmanship and loyalty to the Minamoto shogunate.

In the 16th century, Shimada Nobushige (1533-1588) was a renowned daimyo (feudal lord) who ruled over the Shimada Domain in the Totomi Province (present-day Shizuoka Prefecture). He played a significant role in the Sengoku period (1467-1615 CE) and was known for his military strategies and governance.

Another notable figure from the Shimada family was Shimada Ichizaemon (1636-1703), a skilled swordsmith who lived during the Edo period (1603-1868 CE). His swords were highly prized for their exceptional quality and craftsmanship.

During the Meiji period (1868-1912 CE), Shimada Saburo (1852-1923) was a prominent educator and advocate for women's education in Japan. He established several schools and played a pivotal role in promoting educational opportunities for women.

As the name Shimada has a long history in Japan, it is also associated with various place names and locations across the country. For example, Shimada City in Shizuoka Prefecture was named after the Shimada clan, reflecting their historical significance in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shimada

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

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 Shimada 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 Shimada 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 Shimada was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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