Tokita last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Tokita

A Japanese surname potentially derived from a place name or occupation.

Tokita, 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 Tokita surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tokita in America

Tokita is the 126018th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tokita surname appeared 136 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 Tokita.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tokita 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 126018 120330 4.62%
Count 136 133 2.23%
Proportion per 100k 0.05 0.05 0.00%

The history of the last name Tokita

The surname Tokita has its origins in Japan, where it emerged during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). It is believed to derive from the Japanese word "toki," meaning "time" or "season," possibly indicating that the original bearers of the name had some association with timekeeping or agriculture.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tokita name can be found in the Azuma Kagami, a historical chronicle of the Kamakura shogunate, which mentions a samurai named Tokita Masanori who served under the renowned Minamoto clan in the 13th century.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Tokita family was prominent in the Kaga Domain (present-day Ishikawa Prefecture), where they held positions of influence as local administrators and scholars. Notable individuals from this time include Tokita Masashige (1603-1673), a scholar and poet renowned for his contributions to the development of the haiku form.

In the 19th century, Tokita Genzo (1813-1878) was a prominent educator and advocate for the modernization of Japan's education system. He played a key role in establishing one of Japan's first modern schools, the Kaiseijo, which later became the prestigious Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo).

Another notable figure was Tokita Fujio (1872-1945), a politician and diplomat who served as the Japanese Ambassador to the United States from 1924 to 1928, playing a crucial role in fostering understanding and cooperation between the two nations during a period of rising tensions.

Moving into the 20th century, Tokita Tomiko (1900-1967) was a pioneering Japanese aviator who became the first woman in Japan to obtain a pilot's license in 1932. She played a significant role in promoting aviation and breaking gender barriers in a traditionally male-dominated field.

The Tokita surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Japan, such as the Tokita district in Hiroshima Prefecture and the Tokita River in Shiga Prefecture, indicating the widespread distribution and historical significance of this family name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tokita

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

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 Tokita was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 5.88% 8
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 87.50% 119
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 5.15% 7
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Tokita has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 5.88% 5.26% 11.13%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 87.50% 92.48% -5.53%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 5.15% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Tokita last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/tokita-surname-popularity/.

"Tokita last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/tokita-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Tokita last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/tokita-surname-popularity/.

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