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

Shimota, 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 Shimota surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shimota in America

Shimota is the 103655th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shimota surname appeared 173 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 Shimota.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shimota 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 Shimota

The surname "SHIMOTA" is believed to have originated in Japan during the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE). It is thought to be derived from the Japanese words "shi" meaning "four" and "moto" meaning "origin" or "source," potentially referring to a place or family with four distinct origins or branches.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Taiheiki, a historical narrative of the Nanboku-chō period (1336-1392 CE), which mentions a samurai warrior named Shimota Nobuyoshi who fought in the battles between the Northern and Southern Courts.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573 CE), a prominent family bearing the Shimota name resided in the Ise Province (present-day Mie Prefecture). They were known for their expertise in traditional Japanese arts, particularly Noh theater and poetry.

In the Edo period (1603-1868 CE), the Shimota clan played a significant role in the governance of the Akita Domain (present-day Akita Prefecture). Shimota Masanori (1638-1714) was a renowned daimyo (feudal lord) who oversaw the development of the region and implemented various reforms.

Another notable figure was Shimota Kaoru (1819-1887), a scholar and educator who played a pivotal role in the modernization of Japan during the Meiji Restoration. He established one of the first modern schools in Kyoto and advocated for the adoption of Western educational systems.

During the Kamakura period, the name "Shimota" was also associated with a village in present-day Kanagawa Prefecture. The village's name was originally written as "Shimo-ta," which could be translated as "lower rice field," potentially indicating its location in a lower-lying agricultural area.

Throughout history, other variations of the name have been recorded, such as "Shimoda" and "Shimotsu," which may have stemmed from regional dialects or slight differences in pronunciation and writing.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shimota

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

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

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

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