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

Wakamatsu, 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 Wakamatsu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wakamatsu in America

Wakamatsu is the 91221st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wakamatsu surname appeared 202 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 Wakamatsu.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wakamatsu 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 Wakamatsu

The surname WAKAMATSU originated in Japan during the Heian period (794-1185 CE). It is believed to be derived from the Japanese words "waka" meaning "young" and "matsu" meaning "pine tree". The name likely referred to a person who lived near a young pine tree or a pine tree plantation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the WAKAMATSU name can be found in the Azuma Kagami, a historical chronicle compiled in the late 13th century. The text mentions a samurai named Wakamatsu Yoshisada who served under the Kamakura shogunate in the late 12th century.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573 CE), the WAKAMATSU family became prominent landowners in the Ise Province (present-day Mie Prefecture). Records from this time mention a Wakamatsu Nobuyuki who served as a vassal to the powerful Shiba clan.

In the Edo period (1603-1868 CE), the WAKAMATSU name gained further recognition. One notable figure was Wakamatsu Shikita (1776-1834), a prominent poet and scholar of Japanese literature. His works, including the anthology "Wakamatsushu", helped preserve and promote traditional waka poetry.

Another famous WAKAMATSU was Wakamatsu Yoshisaburo (1836-1888), a samurai and government official who played a key role in the Meiji Restoration. He served as a diplomat and helped modernize Japan's education system.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several WAKAMATSU families were amongst the first Japanese immigrants to settle in the United States and other parts of the Americas. This includes individuals like Wakamatsu Jukichi (1869-1949), who established one of the first Japanese agricultural colonies in California in the early 1900s.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wakamatsu

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Wakamatsu, 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!