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

Tamura, 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 Tamura surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tamura in America

Tamura is the 14591st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tamura surname appeared 2,040 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Tamura.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tamura 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 Tamura

The surname Tamura is of Japanese origin and has its roots dating back several centuries. It is derived from the Japanese words "tamura" which translates to "paddy field village." This suggests that the name likely originated among those who lived in rural agricultural communities centered around cultivating rice crops.

One of the earliest recorded references to the Tamura name can be found in the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD) records. During this era, the Tamura clan was a prominent samurai family with ancestral ties to the Minamoto clan, a powerful warrior clan that played a pivotal role in the Genpei War.

In the Muromachi period (1336-1573 AD), the Tamura family held significant influence in the Echigo Province, now part of modern-day Niigata Prefecture. They controlled several domains and were influential regional rulers.

Notable individuals with the Tamura surname include Tamura Toshikane (1548-1627), a renowned daimyo (feudal lord) and military commander who served under Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Sengoku period. His descendants continued to hold positions of power in the Tokugawa shogunate.

Another historical figure is Tamura Tsuyoshi (1737-1827), a renowned Confucian scholar and educator who founded the Tamura-ryu school of academic thought. His teachings and writings had a significant impact on the intellectual landscape of the Edo period.

In more recent times, Tamura Kazuo (1914-1998) was a renowned Japanese author and translator, best known for his translations of works by Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre into Japanese.

Tamura Naomi (1892-1964) was a prominent Japanese feminist and social activist who fought for women's rights and gender equality in the early 20th century.

The Tamura name has also been associated with various place names, such as Tamura City in Fukushima Prefecture and Tamura Village in Kumamoto Prefecture, further reinforcing its historical roots and geographical significance within Japan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tamura

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

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

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

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