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

Yanagawa, 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 Yanagawa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yanagawa in America

Yanagawa is the 112568th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yanagawa surname appeared 156 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Yanagawa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yanagawa 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 Yanagawa

The surname Yanagawa originates from Japan, specifically from the regions of Kyushu and western Honshu. The name likely dates back to the feudal period or earlier, giving it deep historic roots. Yanagawa derives from Japanese kanji characters [柳] meaning "willow" and [川] meaning "river." This suggests that the surname may have originally described a place where willows grew by a river.

The Yanagawa name appears in various historical documents and feudal records. It can be found in old family registries and on land ownership documents. These records from the Edo period (1603-1868) often contained the name Yanagawa, highlighting the landholdings and societal roles of families bearing this surname.

One early documented instance of the surname Yanagawa is found in the Buke Shohatto, a set of governing rules issued by the Tokugawa shogunate, which included names of samurai families. Yanagawa Shigenaga, a samurai from the late Sengoku and the early Edo periods (circa 1500s-early 1600s), is one such notable individual. Shigenaga played a role in the unification of Japan under Tokugawa Ieyasu.

A renowned Yanagawa was Yanagawa Seigan (circa 1609-1654), a well-respected haiku poet and contemporary of Matsuo Basho. His poetic works brought attention to the Yanagawa name in literary circles both in his hometown and across Japan.

In later centuries, Yanagawa Shigenobu (1780-1832), a celebrated ukiyo-e artist who specialized in picture books and illustrated texts, carried the Yanagawa name into the arts. Shigenobu's works were widely distributed, and he was an influential figure in the world of Japanese printmaking.

Yanagawa Aiko (1889-1973), a pioneering social reformer and member of Japan's women's suffrage movement, is another significant figure. Aiko's activism during the Taisho and early Showa periods helped shape the modern role of women in Japanese society.

Yanagawa Shizuko (1906-1987) made her mark as a distinguished author and academic in the 20th century. Her writings contributed to Japanese cultural and literary criticism, and her scholarship helped preserve Japanese classical literature for future generations.

These examples reflect the diverse contributions of individuals with the Yanagawa surname over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yanagawa

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

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

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

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