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

Yoshihara, 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 Yoshihara surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yoshihara in America

Yoshihara is the 54530th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yoshihara surname appeared 378 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 Yoshihara.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yoshihara 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 Yoshihara

Yoshihara is a surname of Japanese origin. The name is traditionally written with the kanji characters "良" (yoshi), meaning "good" or "righteous," and "原" (hara), meaning "field" or "plain." This name was primarily associated with families living in flat, open rural areas, often indicating that their ancestors were farmers or landowners in such regions.

The surname Yoshihara can be traced back to the Heian period (794-1185) in Japan. During this era, surnames were adopted by families associated with the aristocracy or samurai class. The Yoshihara clan initially gained prominence in the Kanto region, an area that includes modern-day Tokyo. The name often appears in feudal records and legal documents preserved from this time.

Historical references to the surname can be found in various ancient manuscripts and documentation. One notable historical figure is Yoshihara Kanemitsu, a samurai and landowner who lived during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). Kanemitsu is documented in the Azuma Kagami, an official historical record of the Kamakura Shogunate. His contributions to agricultural development and local governance were well regarded.

Another notable individual bearing the surname was Yoshihara Shigeo, a renowned swordsman during the Muromachi period (1336-1573). His family played a significant role in the military campaigns of the Ashikaga Shogunate. Records from the Taiheiki, a famous Japanese war chronicle, detail Shigeo's valor in the battlefield and his role in defending his lord's domains.

During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Yoshihara surname continued to appear in local registries and government records. Yoshihara Monzaemon, born in 1653, was a celebrated playwright known for his realistic domestic dramas. His works, often staged in Osaka, captured the lives of common people and hold considerable historic and cultural value.

In the Meiji period (1868-1912), as Japan opened to the outside world, Yoshihara Jiro, an influential industrialist, and inventor, contributed to Japan's modernization efforts. Born in 1849, Jiro was instrumental in establishing several manufacturing enterprises, particularly in textiles, aiding Japan's burgeoning economy.

The Yoshihara name is also associated with prominent artists in the 20th century. Yoshihara Jiro, born in 1905, was a significant figure in the Gutai Art Association, an avant-garde movement that revolutionized postwar Japanese art. His works and theories about artistic freedom and innovation left a lasting impact on modern art.

The surname Yoshihara carries a rich historical legacy, stretching from ancient aristocracy and military prowess to contributions in literature, industry, and modern art. Each epoch saw Yoshihara individuals shaping and influencing Japanese culture and society in various distinguished ways.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yoshihara

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!