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

Tanaka, 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 Tanaka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tanaka in America

Tanaka is the 4439th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tanaka surname appeared 7,994 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Tanaka.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tanaka 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 Tanaka

The surname Tanaka is of Japanese origin and is one of the most common surnames in Japan. Its roots can be traced back to the Heian period (794-1185 AD), when the name was first used as a descriptive term for fields or rice paddies located in a flat valley or basin area.

Tanaka is derived from the Japanese words "tana," meaning a flat space or valley, and "ka," meaning a suffix indicating a location or area. The name likely originated in the Kansai region of Japan, where many flat valleys and basins were suitable for rice cultivation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tanaka surname can be found in the "Azuma Kagami" (The Mirror of the East), a historical chronicle compiled in the late 13th century. The text mentions a samurai named Tanaka Hiroshige, who served under the Kamakura shogunate in the late 12th century.

In the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the Tanaka clan gained prominence as a powerful samurai family in the Kansai region. They controlled vast tracts of land and played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the time.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), several notable figures bore the Tanaka surname. One such individual was Tanaka Kyūgu (1663-1718), a renowned Zen Buddhist monk and poet who served as the abbot of the Myōshin-ji temple in Kyoto.

Another prominent Tanaka was Tanaka Hisashige (1799-1881), a influential daimyo (feudal lord) who played a crucial role in the Meiji Restoration and the transition from the Tokugawa shogunate to the modern Japanese state.

In the 20th century, Tanaka Giichi (1864-1929) was a highly respected statesman and prime minister of Japan from 1927 to 1929. He was known for his efforts to promote democracy and parliamentary government in Japan.

Tanaka Kakuei (1918-1993) was a influential politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974. He was known for his efforts to revitalize the Japanese economy and his involvement in the Lockheed bribery scandal.

These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Tanaka, which remains one of the most common and widespread surnames in Japan today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tanaka

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

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

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

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