2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Takenaga
A Japanese surname meaning "tall" or "longstanding, long-lasting".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Takenaga. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Takenaga 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Takenaga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Takenaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (8.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Takenaga
The surname Takenaga is of Japanese origin and can be traced back to the 8th century. It is derived from the words "take," meaning "bamboo," and "naga," meaning "long or tall." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a bamboo grove or was associated with bamboo in some way.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Takenaga can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an imperial chronicle compiled in the late 8th century. This text mentions a nobleman named Takenaga no Ason who served as a provincial governor during the Nara period (710-794).
During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the Takenaga family gained prominence as a branch of the powerful Minamoto clan. Takenaga Hangan (1242-1308) was a renowned Buddhist monk and poet who served as the head of the Tōdai-ji temple in Nara.
In the Muromachi period (1336-1573), Takenaga Shigeyasu (1504-1572) was a skilled military strategist and retainer of the Takeda clan. He played a crucial role in several battles during the Sengoku period, including the Siege of Kawanakajima.
The name Takenaga is also associated with the Takenaga domain, a feudal territory located in present-day Fukushima Prefecture. The Takenaga clan ruled this domain from the late 16th century until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Notable daimyo (feudal lords) from this lineage include Takenaga Shigeyoshi (1568-1634) and Takenaga Shigekane (1630-1686).
In the Edo period (1603-1868), Takenaga Nobumasa (1667-1744) was a renowned scholar and advisor to the Tokugawa shogunate. He was known for his expertise in Confucian philosophy and contributed to the development of the Neo-Confucian Shushigaku school of thought.
While the Takenaga surname has its roots in ancient Japan, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and cultural exchange. However, its historical significance and connection to Japanese nobility and scholarship remain deeply embedded in its etymology and origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Takenaga
Among Census respondents with the surname Takenaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (8.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Takenaga 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 Takenaga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander77.0% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 10
- Two or more races8.8% · 10
- White4.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Takenaga
Takenaga appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+8 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,686 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 7,686 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 Takenaga 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 | #154,907 | #147,221 | 5.0% |
| Count | 105 | 113 | 7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Takenaga bearers went from 105 to 113 (+7.6% change). The surname moved up 7,686 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #147,221.
FAQ
Takenaga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Takenaga?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Takenaga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Takenaga?
Takenaga ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Takenaga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Takenaga.
Has Takenaga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Takenaga went from 105 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 8 (+7.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Takenaga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Takenaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Two or More Races (8.8%). 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 Takenaga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Takenaga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (77.0%), Hispanic (8.8%), Two or More Races (8.8%). 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 Takenaga (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 Takenaga mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "tall" or "longstanding, long-lasting". 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 Takenaga (0.04 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 share the surname Takenaga?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.