Tokumoto
A Japanese surname meaning "virtuous source" or "virtuous origin".
According to the 2000 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Tokumoto. That puts it at #149,328 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tokumoto 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.
Tokumoto appeared in the 2000 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#149,328
2000 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Tokumoto in its 2000 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149328th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tokumoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.9%) and White (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tokumoto
The surname Tokumoto originates from Japan and has its roots in ancient Japanese culture. It is believed to have emerged during the Heian period (794-1185 AD), a time when Japan was transitioning from its classical era of court poets and scholars to a more militarized and feudal society. The name Tokumoto is traditionally associated with areas in the southeastern part of Japan, including regions such as Kyoto and Nara, which were politically and culturally significant during the early adoption of surnames.
Tokumoto is derived from the combination of two kanji characters: "toku" (徳), meaning virtue or moral, and "moto" (本), meaning origin or root. This suggests that the name was initially used to signify someone who was regarded as a person of virtue or moral standing, perhaps tied to noble or scholarly origins. It was not uncommon for surnames in this period to denote personal attributes or the geographical origins of a family.
One of the earliest references to the name Tokumoto can be found in the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD) manuscripts, which include a record of a Tokumoto Hidemasa, a samurai who served under the clan Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of the Kamakura shogunate. Hidemasa's loyalty and virtue as a warrior were often celebrated in local poetry and oral histories, which contributed to the growing recognition of the Tokumoto name.
Another notable historical figure with the surname Tokumoto is Tokumoto Jitsugen, a Buddhist monk active during the Muromachi period (1336-1573 AD). Born in 1392 and dying in 1468, Jitsugen was a well-respected scholar who contributed to the spread of Zen Buddhism in Japan. His teachings and writings, which often incorporated discussions on virtue and moral conduct, played a significant role in the cultural and religious landscape of the time.
In more recent centuries, Tokumoto Katsutaro, a renowned ukiyo-e artist from the Edo period (1603-1868 AD), made significant contributions to the art world. Born in 1775 and passing away in 1845, Katsutaro’s intricate woodblock prints captured the essence of Tokugawa-era life, reflecting both the aesthetic and moral values of the period. His works remain studied and admired in art history circles.
The Tokumoto family name has also been associated with places in Japan. For instance, the village of Tokumoto in present-day Aichi Prefecture was likely named after a prominent family that resided there, signifying the family's influence in the area. Historical maps from the late Edo period mark this village, showcasing the geographical spread of the surname.
Lastly, Tokumoto Yasuko, a pioneering female educator born in 1898 and dying in 1973, played a transformative role in advocating for women’s education in post-Meiji Japan. Her efforts were instrumental in establishing several educational institutions and fostering a new era of academic enlightenment for Japanese women.
Throughout its history, the surname Tokumoto has been borne by individuals of notable virtue, scholarship, and artistic talent, deeply embedding it in Japanese cultural and historical context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tokumoto
Among Census respondents with the surname Tokumoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.9%) and White (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tokumoto bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2000 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 Tokumoto surname at the time of the 2000 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander78.2%
- Two or more races12.9%
- White5.0%
- Unknown or suppressed4.0%
FAQ
Tokumoto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tokumoto?
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the surname Tokumoto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,501,856 residents.
How common is Tokumoto?
Tokumoto ranks #149,328 in the 2000 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 2000 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Tokumoto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137), 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 Tokumoto.
Has Tokumoto become more or less common over time?
Tokumoto appears here with 2000 Census data. When additional surname-file years are available for this name, Name Census uses them to show longer-term movement in rank and bearer count.
What does the Census say about the background of Tokumoto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tokumoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.9%) and White (5.0%). These figures come from the 2000 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 Tokumoto in the 2000 Census, accounting for 78.2%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tokumoto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2000 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (78.2%), Two or More Races (12.9%), White (5.0%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Tokumoto appears here with 2000 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Tokumoto mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "virtuous source" or "virtuous origin". 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 2000 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 Tokumoto (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 have the surname Tokumoto?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.