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

Shimokawa, 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 Shimokawa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shimokawa in America

Shimokawa is the 97671st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shimokawa surname appeared 186 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 Shimokawa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shimokawa 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 Shimokawa

The surname Shimokawa has its origins in Japan, dating back to the 8th century CE. It is believed to be derived from the Japanese words "shimo" meaning "below" or "lower" and "kawa" meaning "river" or "stream". This suggests that the name likely originated from a specific geographic location situated near a lower river or stream.

During the Heian period (794-1185 CE), the Shimokawa name appeared in several historical records, including the Shoku Nihongi, an early imperial chronicle. It was typically associated with samurai families or minor nobility residing in the Kanto region, near present-day Tokyo.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Shimokawa name can be found in the Azuma Kagami, a 14th-century military chronicle, which mentions a Shimokawa Nobutsuna (dates unknown) who served as a retainer to the Kamakura shogunate.

In the 16th century, the Shimokawa family played a notable role in the Sengoku period (1467-1615), a era of near-constant military conflict. Shimokawa Shigemori (1521-1592) was a samurai lord who fought alongside the warlord Takeda Shingen in several battles.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Shimokawa name appeared in various regional records, often associated with notable figures in the arts and literature. Shimokawa Kiyonobu (1671-1738) was a renowned Noh actor and playwright who helped popularize the art form in Edo (modern-day Tokyo).

In the late 19th century, Shimokawa Torataro (1870-1945) was a prominent businessman and politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the early years of the Meiji era.

Another notable figure was Shimokawa Koyo (1888-1928), a pioneering feminist author and activist who advocated for women's rights and education during the Taisho period.

Throughout its long history, the Shimokawa surname has been carried by many influential individuals across various fields, reflecting its deep roots and enduring legacy in Japanese society.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shimokawa

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

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

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

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