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

Torii, 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 Torii surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Torii in America

Torii is the 126765th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Torii surname appeared 135 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 Torii.

We can also compare 2010 data for Torii 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 Torii

The surname Torii originated in Japan, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Japanese word "tori," meaning "bird," and may have initially referred to a person who worked with birds or lived in an area with a significant bird population.

One of the earliest known references to the name Torii can be found in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) archives, where it appears in records related to samurai families and landowners. The name was particularly prevalent in the Kanto region, which includes present-day Tokyo.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the Torii family gained prominence as influential daimyo (feudal lords) in the Iga region of present-day Mie Prefecture. Torii Mototada (1539-1600), a skilled military strategist, is one of the notable figures from this period.

In the Edo period (1603-1868), the Torii name was associated with several prominent scholars and artists. Torii Kiyonobu (1664-1729) was a renowned ukiyo-e woodblock print artist, renowned for his depictions of kabuki actors and courtesans. Torii Kiyomitsu (1735-1785), another ukiyo-e artist, was part of the esteemed Torii school of woodblock printing.

The name Torii has also been associated with various locations throughout Japan. For instance, the Torii-mura (Torii Village) in Shizuoka Prefecture dates back to the 8th century and was named after the local Torii clan.

Notable individuals with the surname Torii include:

1. Torii Mototada (1539-1600), a renowned samurai and military strategist during the Sengoku period.
2. Torii Kiyonobu (1664-1729), a celebrated ukiyo-e woodblock print artist of the Edo period.
3. Torii Kiyomitsu (1735-1785), another renowned ukiyo-e artist and a member of the esteemed Torii school.
4. Torii Yozo I (1868-1925), a pioneering photographer and the founder of the Torii Photographic Studio in Tokyo.
5. Torii Ryuzo (1870-1953), a prominent architect who designed several iconic buildings, including the former Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Torii

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

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

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

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