2000
#49,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 397
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.15
Very Rare Last name
Shoda
A Japanese surname potentially derived from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 477 Americans carry the last name Shoda. That puts it at #53,634 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 718,563 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shoda 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
477
1 in 718,563
Census rank
#53,634
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
416
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 416 bearers of the surname Shoda in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 53634th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shoda, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.0%) and Black (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shoda
The surname SHODA has its origins in Japan and is believed to have emerged during the Kamakura period, which lasted from 1185 to 1333. The name is thought to be derived from the Japanese word "shoda," which means "a small village" or "a hamlet." This suggests that the name may have been initially adopted by families residing in rural areas or small settlements.
SHODA is a relatively uncommon surname in Japan, and its earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the 14th and 15th centuries in various historical documents and records. One notable mention of the name is found in the "Azuma Kagami," a historical chronicle compiled in the early 14th century, which references a samurai warrior named Shoda Masatsugu.
During the Edo period, which spanned from 1603 to 1868, the SHODA name gained prominence in the Shizuoka Prefecture, located in central Japan. The region was known for its skilled artisans and craftsmen, and it is possible that some families with the SHODA surname may have been involved in traditional crafts or trades.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the SHODA surname was Shoda Masayuki, a renowned Zen Buddhist monk who lived in the 16th century. He was known for his contributions to the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism and for establishing several temples and monasteries.
In the 19th century, Shoda Kazue, a renowned writer and poet, gained recognition for her works that often explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. She was born in 1868 and lived until 1945, leaving behind a substantial literary legacy.
Another notable figure was Shoda Masahiro, a military officer who served in the Imperial Japanese Army during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He played a significant role in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and was later appointed as the Governor-General of Korea during Japan's colonial rule over the peninsula.
In more recent times, Shoda Noriyuki, a renowned architect, made significant contributions to the field of sustainable and environmentally conscious design. He was born in 1945 and was widely recognized for his innovative and eco-friendly architectural projects throughout Japan.
While the surname SHODA may not be among the most common in Japan, it has a rich history and has been associated with various notable individuals across different fields, including religion, literature, military, and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shoda
Among Census respondents with the surname Shoda, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.0%) and Black (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Shoda 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 Shoda surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.4% · 243
- Asian and Pacific Islander30.0% · 125
- Black or African American6.0% · 25
- Two or more races3.6% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shoda
Shoda 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
#53,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 387
-10 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Down 3,748 places
2020
#53,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 416
+29 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 215 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #49,671 | 397 | 0.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #53,419 | 387 | 0.13 | -10 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 3,748 places |
| 2020 | #53,634 | 416 | 0.14 | +29 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 215 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 Shoda 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 | #53,419 | #53,634 | -0.4% |
| Count | 387 | 416 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.14 | 7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shoda bearers went from 387 to 416 (+7.5% change). The surname moved down 215 positions in the national ranking, going from #53,419 to #53,634.
FAQ
Shoda surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shoda?
Name Census estimates that about 477 living Americans carry the surname Shoda. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 718,563 residents.
How common is Shoda?
Shoda ranks #53,634 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 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 416 people with the surname Shoda. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (477), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 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 Shoda.
Has Shoda become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shoda went from 387 recorded bearers to 416. That is an increase of 29 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #53,419 to #53,634.
What does the Census say about the background of Shoda?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shoda, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (30.0%) and Black (6.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Shoda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.4% (243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shoda appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (30.0%), Black (6.0%). 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 Shoda (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 Shoda mean?
A Japanese surname potentially derived from a place name or occupation. 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 Shoda (0.14 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 Shoda?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Shoda on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.