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

Wada, 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 Wada surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wada in America

Wada is the 16716th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wada surname appeared 1,712 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wada.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wada 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 Wada

The surname WADA is believed to have originated in Japan, with its earliest known records dating back to the 8th century AD. The name is thought to be derived from the Japanese word "wada," which means a small valley or a low-lying area between hills or mountains.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the WADA surname can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an early Japanese chronicle that covers the period from 697 to 791 AD. This historical text mentions a person named Wada no Sukune, who served as a minister during the reign of Emperor Shomu in the 8th century.

During the Heian period (794-1185 AD), the WADA family gained prominence as a noble clan in the Kyoto region. Some notable figures from this era include Wada no Yoshimori (948-1012), a renowned calligrapher and poet, and Wada no Narimura (1033-1099), a military commander who played a significant role in the Gosannen War.

In the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD), the WADA surname was associated with several prominent samurai families. One such figure was Wada Yoshimori (1170-1238), a skilled warrior who served under the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), the WADA name was linked to various domains and fiefdoms across Japan. One notable example is Wada Katsunaga (1662-1737), a daimyo (feudal lord) who ruled over the Wakayama Domain in present-day Wakayama Prefecture.

In more recent history, several individuals with the WADA surname have made significant contributions in various fields. For instance, Wada Hiroo (1911-1980) was a renowned Japanese architect known for his modernist designs, while Wada Makoto (1924-2017) was a respected painter and printmaker who helped popularize the Japanese woodblock printing technique.

Other notable figures include Wada Akiko (1942-), a pioneering Japanese woman who became one of the first female domestic pilots in the country, and Wada Akira (1959-), a successful Japanese businessman and the former president of the video game company Square Enix.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wada

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!