Find out how popular the last name Suyama is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Suyama.

Suyama, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Suyama surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Suyama in America

Suyama is the 84748th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Suyama surname appeared 221 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Suyama.

We can also compare 2010 data for Suyama to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Suyama

The surname Suyama is believed to have originated in Japan during the late 6th or early 7th century. It is a locative name, derived from the geographical area of Suyama, located in what is now the Shiga Prefecture. This region was known for its mountainous terrain and fertile valleys, which gave rise to the name's meaning, roughly translating to "su" meaning "nest" or "dwelling" and "yama" meaning "mountain."

One of the earliest known references to the Suyama name can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an ancient Japanese chronicle dating back to the late 8th century. This text mentions a prominent samurai warrior named Suyama no Michizane, who served under Emperor Kammu during the Heian period (794-1185).

In the 12th century, the Suyama clan rose to prominence as influential landowners and administrators in the Shiga region. Records from this era mention a notable figure, Suyama no Nobuyuki (1135-1199), who served as a provincial governor and played a vital role in mediating territorial disputes among local clans.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the Suyama family became closely associated with the Ashikaga shogunate, and several members held significant positions within the military hierarchy. One such figure was Suyama Yoshitaka (1450-1516), a skilled samurai and strategist who aided the Ashikaga shogunate in quelling various uprisings.

The Suyama name also has ties to the world of literature and arts. In the 17th century, Suyama Sessai (1590-1658) gained recognition as a talented calligrapher and poet, renowned for his mastery of the waka poetic form. His works were highly regarded and influenced subsequent generations of artists and writers.

Throughout its history, the Suyama surname has been associated with various place names and alternative spellings. In the Edo period (1603-1868), the name was sometimes written as "Suyeyama" or "Suwayama," reflecting local dialects and variations in pronunciation. Additionally, the name has been linked to several villages and towns within the Shiga Prefecture, such as Suyama-mura and Suyama-cho.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Suyama

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Suyama.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Suyama was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Suyama has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Suyama was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Suyama, please contact us.

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