2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Shimura
A Japanese surname derived from the words "shima" (island) and "mura" (village).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 149 Americans carry the last name Shimura. That puts it at #134,631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,300,365 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shimura 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
149
1 in 2,300,365
Census rank
#134,631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
130
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 130 bearers of the surname Shimura in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 134631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.5%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shimura
The surname SHIMURA is of Japanese origin, dating back to the late 8th century AD. It is believed to have originated from the Shimura region in the Yamagata Prefecture, located in northern Japan. The name is derived from the Japanese words "shima" meaning "island" and "mura" meaning "village," likely referring to a village on an island or near the coast.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SHIMURA surname can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an imperial chronicle of ancient Japan completed in 797 AD. The text mentions a family named SHIMURA who resided in the Shimura area during the late Nara period (710-794 AD).
The SHIMURA name has been associated with various historical figures throughout Japanese history. One notable example is Shimura Kanjiro (1828-1897), a prominent Meiji-era politician and diplomat who served as the Japanese ambassador to Germany and Russia.
Another influential figure with the SHIMURA surname was Shimura Kan (1824-1910), a renowned artist and ukiyo-e woodblock print designer who helped popularize the Kacho-ga genre, which depicted birds and flowers.
In the realm of literature, Shimura Hakumin (1904-1994) was a celebrated Japanese poet and author, known for his contributions to the modernist literary movement. His works, such as "The Windswept Years," explored themes of isolation and existentialism.
During the Edo period (1603-1867), the SHIMURA name was also associated with several prominent samurai families. One such family was the Shimura clan, which served as retainers to the powerful Tokugawa Shogunate.
A more recent figure with the SHIMURA surname is Shimura Takashi (1948-2020), a renowned Japanese voice actor who lent his talents to numerous anime and video game productions, including the iconic role of Goku in the "Dragon Ball" series.
While the SHIMURA surname has its roots in Japan, it has since spread globally due to migration and marriage, with individuals bearing this name found in various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shimura
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.5%) and Two or More Races (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shimura 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 Shimura surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander81.5% · 106
- White8.5% · 11
- Two or more races6.9% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shimura
Shimura 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,526 places
2020
#134,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
+5 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,526 places |
| 2020 | #134,631 | 130 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.0%) | Up 81 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 Shimura 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 | #134,712 | #134,631 | 0.1% |
| Count | 125 | 130 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shimura bearers went from 125 to 130 (+4.0% change). The surname moved up 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #134,631.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Shimura
FAQ
Shimura surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shimura?
Name Census estimates that about 149 living Americans carry the surname Shimura. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,300,365 residents.
How common is Shimura?
Shimura ranks #134,631 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 130 people with the surname Shimura. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (149), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Shimura.
Has Shimura become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shimura went from 125 recorded bearers to 130. That is an increase of 5 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #134,712 to #134,631.
What does the Census say about the background of Shimura?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shimura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.5%. The next largest groups are White (8.5%) and Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Shimura in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shimura appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (81.5%), White (8.5%), Two or More Races (6.9%). 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 Shimura (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 Shimura mean?
A Japanese surname derived from the words "shima" (island) and "mura" (village). 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 Shimura (0.04 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 many people have the last name Shimura?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Shimura on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.