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

Wakai, 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 Wakai surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wakai in America

Wakai is the 128249th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wakai surname appeared 133 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 Wakai.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wakai 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 Wakai

The surname Wakai originated in Japan during the Heian period (794-1185 AD). It is derived from the Japanese words "wa" meaning harmony and "kai" meaning association or group. The name likely referred to an individual or family associated with a harmonious group or community.

One of the earliest known records of the Wakai surname appears in the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD) court documents from the Kamakura Shogunate. These documents mention a samurai warrior named Wakai Yoshitsune who fought alongside the legendary Minamoto no Yoritomo during the Genpei War.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573 AD), the Wakai name can be found in several historical texts and records from the Ashikaga Shogunate. One notable individual from this period was Wakai Masahiro, a skilled swordsmith who crafted katanas for the samurai class.

The Edo period (1603-1868 AD) saw the rise of the Wakai family in Kyoto, where they became influential merchants and artisans. The most famous Wakai from this era was Wakai Katsushige (1592-1680), a renowned potter and artist who helped shape the Raku-yaki ceramic tradition.

In the Meiji era (1868-1912 AD), the Wakai surname gained prominence in the field of education. Wakai Toshio (1832-1905) was a prominent educator and advocate for modern teaching methods in Japan. Another notable figure was Wakai Michiko (1855-1932), one of the first female doctors in Japan and a pioneer in women's healthcare.

The 20th century brought forth several influential individuals with the Wakai surname, such as Wakai Noboru (1901-1983), a renowned architect who designed many iconic buildings in Tokyo, and Wakai Shizuko (1925-1998), a celebrated author and poet whose works explored themes of identity and cultural tradition.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wakai

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

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

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

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