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

Watabe, 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 Watabe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Watabe in America

Watabe is the 117480th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Watabe surname appeared 148 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 Watabe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Watabe 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 Watabe

The surname Watabe originates from Japan and is thought to have emerged during the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE). It is derived from the Japanese words "wa" meaning harmony and "tabe" meaning to eat or consume. The name likely referred to someone who had a strong appetite or enjoyed dining in a harmonious manner.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Watabe name can be found in the Taiheiki, a medieval Japanese war chronicle dating back to the late 14th century. It mentions a samurai warrior named Watabe Mitsunori who fought alongside Emperor Go-Daigo during the Nanboku-chō Wars (1336-1392).

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the Watabe clan established themselves as a prominent feudal family in the Kanto region. Their ancestral lands were centered around present-day Saitama Prefecture, with their family seat located in the Watabe Domain.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named Watabe Nobushige (1512-1575) served as a loyal retainer to the powerful Hojo clan. He played a crucial role in the Battle of Mimasetoge in 1569, where he led the Hojo forces to victory against the invading Takeda army.

The Watabe name also appeared in various literary works and historical records from the Edo period (1603-1868). One such example is the Tokugawa Kinreiko, a genealogical record of the Tokugawa shogunate, which mentions Watabe Tadatoshi (1635-1712), a respected scholar and advisor to the shogun.

In more recent times, the Watabe surname has been carried by several notable individuals, including Watabe Kazuo (1835-1884), a renowned painter and calligrapher during the late Edo and early Meiji periods. Another prominent figure was Watabe Yasuko (1909-1999), a pioneering female novelist and activist who advocated for women's rights and social reforms in Japan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Watabe

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

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

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

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