2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Shinkawa
A locational surname from a place called Shinkawa in Japan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 109 Americans carry the last name Shinkawa. That puts it at #156,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,144,535 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shinkawa 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
109
1 in 3,144,535
Census rank
#156,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
95
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 95 bearers of the surname Shinkawa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shinkawa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.8%) and White (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shinkawa
The surname Shinkawa originates from Japan, with records dating back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Japanese words "shin" meaning "new" and "kawa" meaning "river," potentially referring to a settlement near a newly formed river or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Shinkawa name can be found in the Kamakura Period (1185-1333) records of the Shinkawa clan, a minor samurai family from the Kanto region. The clan is mentioned in several historical texts, though their influence and landholdings were relatively modest compared to other noble families of the time.
During the Edo Period (1603-1868), the Shinkawa name appears in various local records and tax registries, indicating the presence of Shinkawa families in various parts of Japan. One notable example is Shinkawa Katsunori (1589-1662), a minor daimyo (feudal lord) who controlled a small domain in the Echigo Province (present-day Niigata Prefecture).
In the 18th century, a Shinkawa Hidenobu (1720-1801) is recorded as a renowned master of the Japanese tea ceremony and one of the early practitioners of the Omotesenke school of tea. His teachings and writings on the art of tea are still studied and respected today.
Another historical figure with the Shinkawa name is Shinkawa Toyohiro (1828-1876), a samurai and military commander who fought in the Boshin War (1868-1869) on the side of the Shogunate forces against the Imperial Army. He is remembered for his bravery and loyalty, despite being on the losing side of the conflict.
As Japan entered the modern era, the Shinkawa name continued to appear in various contexts. Shinkawa Kazunobu (1876-1944) was a prominent educator and advocate for women's education, establishing several schools and educational institutions in the early 20th century.
While these are just a few examples, the Shinkawa surname has a rich history spanning several centuries in Japan, with individuals from this lineage making notable contributions in various fields throughout the country's turbulent past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shinkawa
Among Census respondents with the surname Shinkawa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.8%) and White (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Shinkawa 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 Shinkawa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander73.7% · 70
- Two or more races15.8% · 15
- White6.3% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 3
- Black or African American1.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shinkawa
Shinkawa appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 95
-7 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,592 | 95 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.9%) | Up 1,840 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 Shinkawa 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 | #158,432 | #156,592 | 1.2% |
| Count | 102 | 95 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shinkawa bearers went from 102 to 95 (-6.9% change). The surname moved up 1,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #156,592.
FAQ
Shinkawa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shinkawa?
Name Census estimates that about 109 living Americans carry the surname Shinkawa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,144,535 residents.
How common is Shinkawa?
Shinkawa ranks #156,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 95 people with the surname Shinkawa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (109), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Shinkawa.
Has Shinkawa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shinkawa went from 102 recorded bearers to 95. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #156,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Shinkawa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shinkawa, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.8%) and White (6.3%). 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 Shinkawa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shinkawa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (73.7%), Two or More Races (15.8%), White (6.3%). 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 Shinkawa (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 Shinkawa mean?
A locational surname from a place called Shinkawa in Japan. 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 Shinkawa (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Shinkawa?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.