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

Tomioka, 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 Tomioka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tomioka in America

Tomioka is the 156044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tomioka surname appeared 104 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 Tomioka.

The history of the last name Tomioka

The surname TOMIOKA originated in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). It is a combination of two Japanese words: "tomi," meaning wealth or fortune, and "oka," meaning hill or small mountain. This suggests that the name may have been derived from a place name referring to a prosperous or fortunate hill or village.

One of the earliest recorded references to the TOMIOKA surname can be found in the "Shinsen Shojiroku," a historical text from the early 17th century that documented the lineages of prominent samurai families. This text mentions several branches of the TOMIOKA clan serving as retainers to various daimyo (feudal lords) in different regions of Japan.

During the Edo period, the TOMIOKA surname was particularly prevalent in the Gunma Prefecture, located in the Kanto region of central Japan. The town of Tomioka, now part of the city of Tomioka, was likely named after the TOMIOKA clan who held influence in the area.

One notable figure with the TOMIOKA surname was Tomioka Tesshu (1836-1924), a renowned swordsman and calligrapher from the late Edo and Meiji periods. He was highly skilled in the Tennen Rishin-ryu and Naganuma-ha Shinto-ryu schools of swordsmanship and left a lasting impact on the preservation of traditional Japanese martial arts.

Another prominent individual was Tomioka Silk (1870-1944), a pioneer in the silk industry who established one of the first successful silk-reeling factories in Japan. His innovations in silk production techniques helped to revolutionize the industry and contributed to Japan's economic growth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the realm of literature, Tomioka Taiko (1870-1963) was a renowned novelist and poet from the Meiji and Taisho periods. She is particularly known for her works exploring the lives of women and their struggles in a rapidly modernizing Japan.

During the Edo period, several branches of the TOMIOKA clan were also recorded as serving as hatamoto (direct retainers) to the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo (present-day Tokyo). This further underscores the historical significance and influence of the TOMIOKA surname in feudal Japan.

Throughout its history, the TOMIOKA surname has been associated with various place names in Japan, such as Tomioka-shi (City of Tomioka), Tomioka-mura (Tomioka Village), and Tomioka-cho (Tomioka Town), reflecting the geographic origins and settlements of different TOMIOKA lineages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tomioka

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

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 Tomioka 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.

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

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

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