2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Yabuki
A Japanese surname likely referring to someone from a hilly or mountainous area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Yabuki. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yabuki 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Yabuki in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yabuki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.8%) and White (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yabuki
The surname Yabuki originates from Japan, with its roots deeply embedded in the country's feudal past. Historically, Japanese surnames often derive from geographical features, occupations, or prominent historical clans, and Yabuki is no exception. The name Yabuki, written as 矢吹 in kanji, can be broken down into two characters: 矢 meaning "arrow" and 吹 meaning "blow" or "puff". This likely indicates that the original bearers of the name were associated with archery or a location notable for its archers or wind—natural features that play a significant role in Japanese nomenclature.
The earliest recorded usage of the surname Yabuki appears in historical documents from the Edo period, specifically around the 17th to 19th centuries, when surnames became more formalized among common people due to social and administrative changes under the Tokugawa shogunate. Older spellings of the name may have varied slightly due to regional dialects and the evolution of the Japanese language; however, the kanji have remained fairly consistent.
One of the earliest notable figures bearing this surname is Yabuki Shigeyuki, a samurai retainer of the Date clan during the late Sengoku period around the late 1500s and early 1600s. His service and contributions to the clan's military campaigns earned him recognition and land, further cementing the Yabuki name in historical records.
In the Edo period, Yabuki Haruo, born in 1761 and died in 1821, became a well-known scholar and poet. His literary contributions were well-documented in various anthologies of the time, providing a scholarly lineage to the Yabuki name.
During the Meiji Restoration, Yabuki Yoshitoshi, who lived from 1845 to 1902, played a significant role in the modernization of Japan's postal system. His efforts in establishing reliable communication networks were vital for the swift modernization that occurred during the Meiji era, marking an important period of transformation in Japanese history.
In more recent historical contexts, the name Yabuki gained further prominence in the 20th century with Yabuki Kō, born in 1905 and passing in 1989, an influential figure in Japan's educational reform post-World War II. His work on equitable and accessible education left a lasting impact on the country's educational policies.
Another prominent individual is Yabuki Tetsu, born in 1933, a renowned researcher in the field of agriculture who developed various sustainable farming techniques that have been widely adopted in rural Japan, showcasing the Yabuki name's association with innovation and advancement.
The surname Yabuki thus encapsulates a rich tapestry of historical significance, from samurai heritage to scholarly achievements, and contributions to modern Japan’s development. Its legacy is well-documented through various periods of Japanese history, reflecting the diverse fields in which individuals bearing the name have made their mark.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yabuki
Among Census respondents with the surname Yabuki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.8%) and White (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Yabuki 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 Yabuki surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander78.4% · 80
- Two or more races9.8% · 10
- White7.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yabuki
Yabuki 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-9 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,408 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 6,408 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 Yabuki 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 | #148,347 | #154,755 | -4.3% |
| Count | 111 | 102 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yabuki bearers went from 111 to 102 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 6,408 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #154,755.
FAQ
Yabuki surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yabuki?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Yabuki. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Yabuki?
Yabuki ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Yabuki. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Yabuki.
Has Yabuki become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yabuki went from 111 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 9 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Yabuki?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yabuki, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.8%) and White (7.8%). 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 Yabuki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yabuki appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (78.4%), Two or More Races (9.8%), White (7.8%). 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 Yabuki (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 Yabuki mean?
A Japanese surname likely referring to someone from a hilly or mountainous area. 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 Yabuki (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 common is the surname Yabuki?
See how many Americans have the surname Yabuki on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.