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

Watanabe, 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 Watanabe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Watanabe in America

Watanabe is the 5605th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Watanabe surname appeared 6,204 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Watanabe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Watanabe 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 Watanabe

The surname Watanabe is of Japanese origin, with its roots traced back to the 8th century AD during the Nara period. It is derived from the Japanese words "wa" meaning "ring" or "circle," and "tanabe" meaning "field" or "valley." Therefore, Watanabe loosely translates to "circular field" or "valley surrounded by a ring of hills."

The earliest known record of the Watanabe name can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an early Japanese chronicle compiled in the late 8th century. This historical text mentions individuals with the surname Watanabe serving as officials and courtiers during the reign of Emperor Kammu (737-806 AD).

During the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD), the Watanabe family rose to prominence as samurai warriors and retainers to the powerful Minamoto clan. One notable figure from this era was Watanabe no Tsuna (1324-1369), a skilled swordsman and military strategist who served under the shogun Ashikaga Takauji.

In the Edo period (1603-1868 AD), the Watanabe clan held significant influence as daimyo (feudal lords) in various regions of Japan. Watanabe Kazan (1793-1841), a renowned scholar, artist, and writer, was born into this lineage and is remembered for his contributions to the study of Western science and philosophy.

Another prominent individual with the Watanabe surname was Watanabe Kakunen (1859-1941), a influential Zen Buddhist monk and calligrapher who served as the head abbot of several notable temples, including Daitoku-ji in Kyoto.

During the Meiji era (1868-1912), Watanabe Toshio (1885-1962) emerged as a pioneering botanist and phycologist, making significant contributions to the field of algae research and taxonomy.

Throughout its long history, the Watanabe name has been associated with various place names and regional variations in spelling, such as Watanabi, Watanave, and Watanave. However, the standardized form of Watanabe remains the most widely recognized and used variation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Watanabe

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

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

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

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