2000
#94,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 180
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Suenaga
A Japanese surname derived from words meaning "long" and "perseverance."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 217 Americans carry the last name Suenaga. That puts it at #101,718 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,579,513 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Suenaga 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
217
1 in 1,579,513
Census rank
#101,718
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
189
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 189 bearers of the surname Suenaga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 101718th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Suenaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.2%) and Two or More Races (11.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Suenaga
The surname SUENAGA is of Japanese origin, dating back to the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE) in Japan's history. It is believed to have originated from the region of Kyushu, specifically in the area around present-day Fukuoka Prefecture. The name is derived from the Japanese words "sue" meaning "end" and "naga" meaning "long", likely referring to a geographical feature or a person's physical characteristic.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SUENAGA name can be found in the Azuma Kagami, a historical chronicle compiled in the late 13th century, which mentions a samurai warrior named SUENAGA Chikahiro who served under the Kamakura shogunate. Another notable figure from this period was SUENAGA Masatsune, a high-ranking court official and poet who lived during the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
During the Muromachi period (1336-1573 CE), the SUENAGA name was associated with the influential Suenaga clan, a family of daimyo (feudal lords) who ruled over parts of present-day Oita Prefecture in Kyushu. One prominent member of this clan was SUENAGA Nobunao, who fought alongside the famous warlord Oda Nobunaga in the late 16th century.
In the Edo period (1603-1868 CE), a SUENAGA family served as hatamoto (direct retainers of the Tokugawa shogunate) in Edo (present-day Tokyo). One notable figure from this time was SUENAGA Bunshō, a scholar and calligrapher who lived in the early 19th century.
Moving into the modern era, SUENAGA Taneomi (1835-1900) was a prominent samurai and politician who played a key role in the Meiji Restoration and the establishment of the modern Japanese state. Another notable figure was SUENAGA Kusuo (1900-1986), a celebrated novelist and essayist known for his works exploring Japanese culture and tradition.
While the SUENAGA name has its roots in Kyushu, over the centuries, it has become more widely dispersed across Japan, with families bearing this surname found in various regions of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Suenaga
Among Census respondents with the surname Suenaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.2%) and Two or More Races (11.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Suenaga 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 Suenaga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander65.6% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino12.2% · 23
- Two or more races11.1% · 21
- White10.6% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Suenaga
Suenaga 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
#89,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 206
+26 bearers (+14.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 4,474 places
2020
#101,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 189
-17 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 11,965 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #94,227 | 180 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #89,753 | 206 | 0.07 | +26 bearers (+14.4%) | Up 4,474 places |
| 2020 | #101,718 | 189 | 0.06 | -17 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 11,965 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 Suenaga 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 | #89,753 | #101,718 | -13.3% |
| Count | 206 | 189 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Suenaga bearers went from 206 to 189 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 11,965 positions in the national ranking, going from #89,753 to #101,718.
FAQ
Suenaga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Suenaga?
Name Census estimates that about 217 living Americans carry the surname Suenaga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,579,513 residents.
How common is Suenaga?
Suenaga ranks #101,718 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 189 people with the surname Suenaga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (217), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Suenaga.
Has Suenaga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Suenaga went from 206 recorded bearers to 189. That is a decrease of 17 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #89,753 to #101,718.
What does the Census say about the background of Suenaga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Suenaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 65.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.2%) and Two or More Races (11.1%). 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 Suenaga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.6% (124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Suenaga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (65.6%), Hispanic (12.2%), Two or More Races (11.1%). 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 Suenaga (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 Suenaga mean?
A Japanese surname derived from words meaning "long" and "perseverance." 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 Suenaga (0.06 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 Suenaga?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.