2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shiotani
A Japanese surname derived from a placename, likely denoting someone's origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Shiotani. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shiotani 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Shiotani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shiotani, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and White (11.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shiotani
The surname Shiotani is of Japanese origin, originating from the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan. It is believed to be derived from the Japanese words "shio" meaning salt, and "tani" meaning valley or ravine, likely referring to a place where salt was produced or collected.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Shiotani surname can be found in the "Shogunate Records" from the mid-17th century, which documented various family names and their locations within the Edo period's feudal system. The name appears to have originated in the coastal regions of western Japan, where salt production was a prominent industry.
In the 18th century, a samurai warrior named Shiotani Yoshitaka (1725-1793) gained recognition for his bravery and skill in battle during the Satsuma Rebellion. His exploits were documented in various historical accounts from the time, cementing the Shiotani name in the annals of Japanese history.
Another notable figure bearing the Shiotani surname was Shiotani Tomoatsu (1870-1949), a renowned Japanese architect who designed several iconic buildings in Tokyo and other major cities during the Meiji and Taisho periods. His work played a significant role in shaping the modern architectural landscape of Japan.
In the realm of literature, Shiotani Akiko (1920-1995) was a celebrated Japanese novelist and poet, known for her poignant works that explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition. Her novel "Sakura no Sono" (The Cherry Blossom Garden) is considered a masterpiece of 20th-century Japanese literature.
The Shiotani surname can also be traced back to various place names in Japan, such as Shiotani-cho, a district in the city of Kobe, and Shiotani-mura, a former village in Gifu Prefecture. These place names likely originated from the same root words as the surname, reflecting the historical connection between the name and the geographic regions it originated from.
It is worth noting that while the Shiotani surname may have originated in specific regions of Japan, it has since spread across the country and can be found among families from various prefectures and backgrounds.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shiotani
Among Census respondents with the surname Shiotani, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and White (11.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Shiotani 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 Shiotani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander72.2% · 70
- Two or more races13.4% · 13
- White11.3% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shiotani
Shiotani 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+7 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,345 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-15 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,196 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 2,345 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -15 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 9,196 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 Shiotani 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 | #147,253 | #156,449 | -6.2% |
| Count | 112 | 97 | -13.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shiotani bearers went from 112 to 97 (-13.4% change). The surname moved down 9,196 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #156,449.
FAQ
Shiotani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shiotani?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Shiotani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Shiotani?
Shiotani ranks #156,449 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 97 people with the surname Shiotani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), 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 Shiotani.
Has Shiotani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shiotani went from 112 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 15 (-13.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Shiotani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shiotani, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and White (11.3%). 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 Shiotani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.2% (70 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shiotani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (72.2%), Two or More Races (13.4%), White (11.3%). 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 Shiotani (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 Shiotani mean?
A Japanese surname derived from a placename, likely denoting someone's origin. 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 Shiotani (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 common is the surname Shiotani?
Want to know how many people have the last name Shiotani? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.