Japanese Surnames - Behind the Name

ABE (1) 安倍 Japanese
From Japanese 安 (a) meaning "peace" and 倍 (be) meaning "multiple times".

ABE (2) 安部 Japanese
From Japanese 安 (a) meaning "peace" and 部 (be) meaning "part, section".

AKIYAMA 秋山 Japanese
From Japanese 秋 (aki) meaning "autumn" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".

FUJIMOTO 藤本 Japanese
From Japanese 藤 (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

FUJIOKA 藤岡 Japanese
From Japanese 藤 (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and 岡 (oka) meaning "ridge, hill".

FUJITA 藤田 Japanese
From Japanese 藤 (fuji) meaning "wisteria" and 田 (ta) meaning "field".

FUKUI 福井 Japanese
Denoted a person who was from Fukui prefecture in Japan.

HAMASAKI 浜崎 Japanese
From Japanese 浜 (hama) meaning "beach, seashore" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

HASHIMOTO 橋本 Japanese
From Japanese 橋 (hashi) meaning "bridge" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

HAYASHI 林 Japanese
From Japanese 林 (hayashi) meaning "forest".

HIMURA 緋村 Japanese
From Japanese 緋 (hi) meaning "scarlet, dark red" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

HISAKAWA 久川 Japanese
From Japanese 久 (hisa) meaning "long time ago" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

HONDA 本田 Japanese
From Japanese 本 (hon) meaning "root, origin, source" and 田 (ta) meaning "field".

IKEDA 池田 Japanese
From Japanese 池 (ike) meaning "pool, pond" and 田 (ta) meaning "field".

INOUE 井上 Japanese
Means "above the well", from Japanese 井 (i) meaning "well, mine shaft, pit", an unwritten possessive marker の (no), and 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper".

ISHIKAWA 石川 Japanese
From Japanese 石 (ishi) meaning "stone" and 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream".

ITO 伊藤 Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 伊藤 (see ITOU).

ITOU 伊藤 Japanese
From Japanese 伊 (i) meaning "this" and 藤 (tou) meaning "wisteria". The final character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

KATO 加藤 Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 加藤 (see KATOU).

KATOU 加藤 Japanese
From Japanese 加 (ka) meaning "add, increase" and 藤 (tou) meaning "wisteria". The latter character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

KAWAGUCHI 川口 Japanese
Means "mouth of the river", from Japanese 川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".

KIMURA 木村 Japanese
From Japanese 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

KITA 北 Japanese
From Japanese 北 (kita) meaning "north".

KOBAYASHI 小林 Japanese
From Japanese 小 (ko) meaning "small" and 林 (hayashi) meaning "forest".

KOIZUMI 小泉 Japanese
From Japanese 小 (ko) meaning "small" and 泉 (izumi) meaning "spring, fountain". A notable bearer of this name is Junichiro Koizumi (1942-), who was Prime Minister of Japan.

KUROSAWA 黒澤 Japanese
From Japanese 黒 (kuro) meaning "black" and 澤 (sawa) meaning "marsh". A notable bearer was Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), a Japanese film director.

MAEDA 前田 Japanese
From Japanese 前 (mae) meaning "front, forward" and 田 (ta) meaning "field".

MAKI (1) 牧 Japanese
From Japanese 牧 (maki) meaning "shepherd, tend cattle".

MAKI (2) 真木 Japanese
From Japanese 真 (ma) meaning "real, genuine" and 木 (ki) meaning "tree".

MATSUMOTO 松本 Japanese
From one of the many places with this name in Japan, derived from Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

MATSUOKA 松岡 Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 岡 (oka) meaning "ridge, hill".

MATSUSHITA 松下 Japanese
From Japanese 松 (matsu) meaning "pine tree, fir tree" and 下 (shita) meaning "under, below".

MINAMI 南 Japanese
From Japanese 南 (minami) meaning "south".

MIYAMOTO 宮本 Japanese
From Japanese 宮 (miya) meaning "temple, shrine, palace" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin". A notable bearer is video game pioneer Shigeru Miyamoto (1952-).

MIZUSHIMA 水島 Japanese
From Japanese 水 (mizu) meaning "water" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

MORI 森 Japanese
From Japanese 森 (mori) meaning "forest".

MOTO 本 Japanese
From Japanese 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin". More commonly it is the final character in Japanese surnames.

NAKAHARA 中原 Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".

NAKAJIMA 中島 Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 島 (shima) meaning "island".

NAKAMURA 中村 Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

NAKANO 中野 Japanese
From Japanese 中 (naka) meaning "middle" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

NAKASHIMA 中島 Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 中島 (see NAKAJIMA).

NISHIMURA 西村 Japanese
From Japanese 西 (nishi) meaning "west" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".

OSHIRO 大城 Japanese
From Japanese 大 (o) meaning "big, great" and 城 (shiro) meaning "castle".

SAITO 斎藤 Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 斎藤 (see SAITOU).

SAITOU 斎藤 Japanese
From Japanese 斎 (sai) meaning "purification, worship" and 藤 (tou) meaning "wisteria". The latter character could indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.

SASAKI 佐々木 Japanese
From Japanese 佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" (repeated, indicated by the iteration mark 々) and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood".

SATO 佐藤 Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 佐藤 (see SATOU).

SATOU 佐藤 Japanese
From Japanese 佐 (sa) meaning "help, aid" and 藤 (tou) meaning "wisteria". The final character might indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan. This is the most common surname in Japan.

SHIMIZU 清水 Japanese
From Japanese 清 (shi) meaning "clear, pure, clean" and 水 (mizu) meaning "water".

SUZUKI 鈴木 Japanese
From Japanese 鈴 (suzu) meaning "bell" and 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood". This is the second most common surname in Japan.

TACHIBANA 橘 Japanese
From Japanese 橘 (tachibana) meaning "orange, tangerine".

TAKAHASHI 高橋 Japanese
From Japanese 高 (taka) meaning "tall, high" and 橋 (hashi) meaning "bridge".

TAKENAKA 竹中 Japanese
Means "dweller amongst bamboo", from Japanese 竹 (take) meaning "bamboo" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

TANAKA 田中 Japanese
Means "dweller in the rice fields", from Japanese 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy" and 中 (naka) meaning "middle".

TSUKUDA 佃 Japanese
From Japanese 佃 (tsukuda) meaning "cultivated rice field".

UEDA 上田 Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

UENO 上野 Japanese
From Japanese 上 (ue) meaning "above, top, upper" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".

WATANABE 渡辺 Japanese
From Japanese 渡 (wataru) meaning "cross, ferry" and 辺 (be) meaning "edge, side".

YAMADA 山田 Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

YAMAGUCHI 山口 Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance". Olympic figure-skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi (1971-) bears this name.

YAMAMOTO 山本 Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 本 (moto) meaning "base, root, origin".

YAMASAKI 山崎 Japanese
Alternate transcription of Japanese Kanji 山崎 (see YAMAZAKI).

YAMASHITA 山下 Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 下 (shita) meaning "under, below".

YAMAUCHI 山内 Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 内 (uchi) meaning "inside".

YAMAZAKI 山崎 Japanese
From Japanese 山 (yama) meaning "mountain" and 崎 (saki) meaning "cape, peninsula".

YOSHIDA 吉田 Japanese
From Japanese 吉 (yoshi) meaning "lucky, good" and 田 (ta) meaning "field, rice paddy".

YUKIMURA 雪村 Japanese
From Japanese 雪 (yuki) meaning "snow" and 村 (mura) meaning "town, village".