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

Takao, 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 Takao surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Takao in America

Takao is the 80131st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Takao surname appeared 237 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 Takao.

We can also compare 2010 data for Takao 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 Takao

The surname Takao originates from Japan and can be traced back to the Heian period (794-1185 AD). It is believed to have derived from the Japanese word "taka," meaning "high" or "tall," and the word "o," meaning "son." Therefore, the surname Takao may have initially referred to a person who lived in a high or elevated area, or it could have been a descriptive name indicating a tall or physically imposing individual.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Takao appears in the Shoku Nihongi, an early Japanese historical text compiled in the late 8th century. This text mentions a person named Takao no Umako, who served as a provincial governor during the Nara period (710-794 AD).

During the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD), the Takao surname was particularly prevalent in the Kanto region of eastern Japan, where it was associated with several notable samurai clans. One prominent figure from this era was Takao Nobuyori (1162-1238), a skilled archer and military strategist who served under the renowned shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo.

In the Muromachi period (1336-1573 AD), the Takao surname was recorded in various regional records and documents, including the Taiheiki, a historical narrative that chronicles the conflicts between the Northern and Southern Courts during the 14th century. One notable individual from this time was Takao Nobukata (1400-1472), a feudal lord who governed the Takao Domain in present-day Kyoto Prefecture.

The Edo period (1603-1868 AD) saw the rise of several influential Takao families, particularly in the domains of Iga and Kishu (modern-day Mie Prefecture). One prominent figure was Takao Nagatane (1573-1644), a skilled strategist and advisor who played a crucial role in the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate.

During the Meiji era (1868-1912 AD), the Takao surname gained further recognition with individuals like Takao Heihachiro (1829-1909), a prominent educator and advocate for modern educational reforms, and Takao Tsugumichi (1852-1922), a pioneering industrialist who established one of Japan's first modern steel mills.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Takao

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

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 Takao 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 Takao 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 Takao was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!