2000
#11,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,435
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Yamashita
A Japanese surname meaning "under the mountain," likely referring to a family's geographical origin or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,666 Americans carry the last name Yamashita. That puts it at #12,680 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,565 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Yamashita 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
2.7K
1 in 128,565
Census rank
#12,680
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,325 bearers of the surname Yamashita in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12680th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Yamashita, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.5%) and White (7.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Yamashita
The surname Yamashita originates from Japan and is believed to have emerged during the Kamakura period (1185–1333 CE). It is a locational name derived from the Japanese words "yama" meaning mountain and "shita" meaning below or under, indicating that the bearers of this name likely resided near the base of a mountain.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Yamashita name can be found in the Azuma Kagami, a historical chronicle compiled in the late 13th century, which documents the lives and achievements of various samurai clans during the Kamakura era.
During the Edo period (1603–1867), the Yamashita clan gained prominence as a notable samurai family. Yamashita Yoshitsugu (1599–1624), a renowned daimyo (feudal lord) and military commander, is remembered for his bravery and loyalty in defending the Tokugawa shogunate during the Siege of Osaka.
In the 19th century, Yamashita Tomoyuki (1815–1892) was a prominent statesman and diplomat who played a crucial role in the negotiations that led to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the United States.
During World War II, Yamashita Tomoyuki (1885–1946), a Japanese general, gained notoriety for his command of the 14th Area Army in the Philippines. He was later tried and convicted of war crimes by an American military tribunal, a controversial decision that remains a subject of debate among historians.
Another notable figure with the Yamashita surname was Yamashita Zenjiro (1888–1958), a Japanese entrepreneur and industrialist who founded the Yamashita-Shinnihon Steamship Company, which played a significant role in Japan's maritime trade and economy in the early 20th century.
While the Yamashita name has its roots in Japan, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and global interconnectivity. However, it remains strongly associated with its Japanese origins and the rich cultural heritage of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Yamashita
Among Census respondents with the surname Yamashita, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.5%) and White (7.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Yamashita 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 Yamashita surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander76.1% · 1,769
- Two or more races12.5% · 291
- White7.0% · 163
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 95
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Yamashita
Yamashita appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,480
+45 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 719 places
2020
#12,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,325
-155 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 180 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,781 | 2,435 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,500 | 2,480 | 0.84 | +45 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 719 places |
| 2020 | #12,680 | 2,325 | 0.78 | -155 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 180 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 Yamashita 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 | #12,500 | #12,680 | -1.4% |
| Count | 2,480 | 2,325 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.78 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Yamashita bearers went from 2,480 to 2,325 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 180 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,500 to #12,680.
FAQ
Yamashita surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Yamashita?
Name Census estimates that about 2,666 living Americans carry the surname Yamashita. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,565 residents.
How common is Yamashita?
Yamashita ranks #12,680 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,325 people with the surname Yamashita. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,666), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Yamashita.
Has Yamashita become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Yamashita went from 2,480 recorded bearers to 2,325. That is a decrease of 155 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,500 to #12,680.
What does the Census say about the background of Yamashita?
Among Census respondents with the surname Yamashita, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.5%) and White (7.0%). 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 Yamashita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.1% (1,769 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Yamashita appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (76.1%), Two or More Races (12.5%), White (7.0%). 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 Yamashita (2000, 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 Yamashita mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "under the mountain," likely referring to a family's geographical origin or location. 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 Yamashita (0.78 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 Yamashita?
Find out how many people have the surname Yamashita on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.