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

Yamasaki, 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 Yamasaki surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yamasaki in America

Yamasaki is the 14296th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yamasaki surname appeared 2,094 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Yamasaki.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yamasaki 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 Yamasaki

The surname Yamasaki originated in Japan during the early centuries of the feudal era. It is derived from the Japanese words "yama" meaning mountain and "saki" meaning cape or promontory, indicating that the name likely referred to a person residing near a mountainous coastal region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Yamasaki name can be traced back to the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE) in the region of Kyushu. During this time, samurai clans and noble families often adopted surnames based on their geographic locations or distinguishing features of their lands.

In the 14th century, a Yamasaki family is mentioned in the historical records of the Muromachi shogunate (1336-1573 CE) as retainers of the powerful Ouchi clan in western Japan. This suggests that the Yamasaki name had already gained recognition among the warrior class by this period.

During the Edo period (1603-1868 CE), the Yamasaki clan was known to have held fief in the Chikuzen Province (present-day Fukuoka Prefecture) and produced several notable figures, including Yamasaki Ansai (1619-1682), a Confucian scholar and philosopher who played a significant role in the intellectual life of the time.

Another prominent individual bearing the Yamasaki name was Yamasaki Naoko (1909-1936), a renowned Japanese novelist and playwright who is celebrated for her works exploring themes of feminism and social injustice.

In the modern era, the Yamasaki surname gained international recognition through the architect Minoru Yamasaki (1912-1986), best known for designing the iconic World Trade Center in New York City, as well as several other landmark buildings across the United States.

Other notable figures with the surname Yamasaki include Yamasaki Tamon (1915-1992), a Japanese politician and former Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Yamasaki Taku (born 1950), a successful Japanese businessman and entrepreneur.

Overall, the Yamasaki surname has a rich history spanning centuries, with its origins rooted in the mountainous regions of Japan and its bearers contributing to various fields, from philosophy and literature to architecture and politics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yamasaki

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

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

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

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