2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Watase
From a Japanese place name referring to the location of a rice field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Watase. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Watase surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Watase in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Watase, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and White (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Watase
The surname WATASE is of Japanese origin and dates back several centuries. It is believed to have originated in the Kanto region of central Japan, specifically in the areas around modern-day Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture.
One theory suggests that the name may derive from the Japanese word "watasu," which means "to cross over" or "to ferry." This could indicate that ancestors with this surname may have worked as ferrymen or lived near a river crossing. However, the exact origins and meaning of the name are not entirely clear.
In terms of historical records, the WATASE surname appears in several ancient Japanese documents and manuscripts, although its earliest written mentions are difficult to pinpoint with certainty. Some scholars have suggested that variations of the name, such as WATAZI or WATASHI, can be found in local records dating back to the late 16th or early 17th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the WATASE surname was a samurai named WATASE Nobuyoshi, who lived in the late 16th century and served under the famous daimyo (feudal lord) Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Another notable figure was WATASE Munesada, a Buddhist monk and scholar who lived in the 17th century and wrote several influential texts on Zen philosophy.
In the 18th century, a WATASE family established themselves as prominent merchants and landowners in the Edo (modern-day Tokyo) area. One member of this family, WATASE Tsuneyuki (1753-1821), was a successful businessman and philanthropist who funded the construction of several temples and shrines in the region.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the WATASE surname was also associated with various artistic and cultural pursuits. WATASE Muneaki (1815-1890) was a renowned ukiyo-e woodblock print artist, while WATASE Kiyoshi (1838-1912) was a talented calligrapher and poet.
As Japan modernized in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the WATASE name continued to be prominent in various fields. WATASE Tsuneyoshi (1872-1946) was a celebrated novelist and playwright, while WATASE Setsuko (1897-1982) was a pioneering female scientist and one of the first Japanese women to earn a doctoral degree in chemistry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Watase
Among Census respondents with the surname Watase, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and White (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Watase bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Watase surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander88.7% · 86
- Two or more races7.2% · 7
- White3.1% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Watase
Watase appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-19 bearers (-16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,300 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-16.4%) | Down 13,300 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Watase surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #143,149 | #156,449 | -9.3% |
| Count | 116 | 97 | -16.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Watase bearers went from 116 to 97 (-16.4% change). The surname moved down 13,300 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #156,449.
FAQ
Watase surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Watase?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Watase. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Watase?
Watase ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 97 people with the surname Watase. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Watase.
Has Watase become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Watase went from 116 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 19 (-16.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Watase?
Among Census respondents with the surname Watase, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.2%) and White (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Watase in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Watase appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (88.7%), Two or More Races (7.2%), White (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Watase (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Watase mean?
From a Japanese place name referring to the location of a rice field. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Watase (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Watase?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Watase, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.