Type Surname (from nickname) Usage Japanese Scripts 斎藤(Japanese Kanji) さいとう(Japanese Hiragana) Pronounced Pron. /sä.i.to̞ː/ Meaning & History From Japanese 斎 (sai) meaning "purification, worship" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The latter character could indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.