Japanese last names represent Japan’s deep and complex culture, and their written language is filled with profound meanings and symbolism. We thoroughly researched the surnames on our curated lists of the most common Japanese last names. You will find Japanese surnames and meanings ordered by category to help make your search easy and organized.
What are Japanese Last Names?
Japanese last names are typically written in kanji, a writing style adopted from Chinese characters. In Japanese, kanji is read in two ways: as a syllabary (meaning it will consist of a consonant and vowel) and as a symbol for a word itself. Japanese surnames can sound the same but be made of different symbols, thus having different meanings. Different kanji can make the same sounds but have different meanings. Japanese surnames are often associated with nature, geographical references, occupational references, or descriptive terms.
Japanese surnames are unique because of the language’s ability to have layered meanings through kanji. Japan was influenced by the arrival of cultures and religions from mainland Asia and China’s symbol writing. Popular Japanese surnames include Takahashi, with kanji meaning ‘high bridge,’ Itō with kanji meaning ‘that wisteria,’ and Tanaka, with kanji meaning ‘center rice paddy.’ Common Japanese-American last names include Ohara, Sato, and Maki, and unique Japanese-American last names include Nakamura, Tanaka, and Yamamoto. Start your search here to find a Japanese surname and its meaning.
Top 100 Japanese Last Names
Here we present a list of the most common Japanese last names and their meanings. Many of these Japanese last names originate from geographical features and natural phenomena. They typically consist of two kanji characters, each carrying specific meanings, which combine to depict imagery or convey historical significance.
- Sato – Village
- Suzuki – Small bell tree
- Tanaka – Middle of the rice paddy
- Watanabe – Cross the border or ford
- Takahashi – High bridge
- Ito – Thread
- Yamamoto – Base of the mountain
- Nakamura – Middle village
- Kobayashi – Small forest
- Saito – Cultivated third
- Kato – Increase wisteria
- Yoshida – Fortunate rice paddy
- Yamada – Mountain rice paddy
- Sasaki – Helping tree
- Yamaguchi – Mountain mouth
- Matsumoto – Pine tree original
- Inoue – Above the well
- Kimura – Tree village
- Hayashi – Forest
- Shimizu – Clear water
- Yamazaki – Mountain cape
- Abe – Abe river
- Ono – Small field
- Mori – Forest
- Nakajima – Middle island
- Hashimoto – Base of the bridge
- Ikeda – Pond field
- Ishikawa – Stone river
- Yamashita – Under the mountain
- Ogawa – Small river
- Ishii – Stone well
- Sakamoto – Rice paddy origin
- Goto – Behind wisteria
- Maeda – In front of the rice paddy
- Okada – Rice paddy hill
- Hasegawa – Long valley river
- Fujita – Wisteria rice paddy
- Kondo – Gold wisteria
- Sakai – Well border
- Murakami – Village above
- Ota – Many rice paddies
- Kikuchi – Chrysanthemum mouth
- Ueda – Upper rice paddy
- Arai – Wash or netting
- Endo – Distant wisteria
- Aoki – Blue tree
- Takeuchi – Within bamboo
- Nakano – Middle field
- Fujii – Wisteria well
- Fukuda – Fortunate rice paddy
- Kaneko – Gold child
- Nishimura – West village
- Okamoto – Hill base
- Nakagawa – Middle river
- Fujiwara – Wisteria meadow
- Miura – Three bays
- Harada – Original rice paddy
- Matsuda – Pine rice paddy
- Kojima – Small island
- Morita – Forest rice paddy
- Tamura – Rice paddy village
- Nakayama – Middle mountain
- Ishida – Stone rice paddy
- Wada – Peaceful rice paddy
- Shibata – Brushwood rice paddy
- Masuda – True rice paddy
- Hara – Original field
- Ando – Stable wisteria
- Uchida – Within rice paddy
- Shimada – Island rice paddy
- Yokoyama – Horizontal mountain
- Miyamoto – Shrine base
- Honda – Main rice paddy
- Koyama – Small mountain
- Takagi – High tree
- Miyazaki – Shrine cape
- Taniguchi – Valley entrance
- Ueno – Above the field
- Imai – Now well
- Maruyama – Round mountain
- Kudo – Work wisteria
- Sugiyama – Cedar mountain
- Fujimoto – Wisteria base
- Kawamura – River village
- Kono – Field of that
- Murata – Village rice paddy
- Kubota – Long rice paddy
- Hirano – Flat field
- Otsuka – Large hill
- Noguchi – Field entrance
- Takeda – Warrior rice paddy
- Matsui – Pine well
- Sakurai – Cherry blossom well
- Chiba – Thousand leaves
- Ida – Rice paddy valley
- Kubo – Long protection
- Sugawara – Riverbank field
- Kinoshita – Under the tree
- Takada – High rice paddy
- Nomura – Field village
Unique Japanese Last Names
This list of unique Japanese last names includes some interesting and remarkable surnames. You’ll find poetic surnames that refer to ideas and natural beauty unique to Japan and last names tied to historic Japanese people.
- Asai – Shallow well
- Asano – Shallow field
- Daisen – Large wash
- Fujikawa – Wisteria river
- Fujisawa – Wisteria marsh
- Fukui – Fortunate well
- Hattori – Pigeon capture
- Higashi – East
- Higuchi – Sunrise mouth
- Hirai – Flat well
- Honma – Main true
- Hoshino – Star field
- Hotta – Main rice field
- Imamura – Now village
- Imoto – Younger sister
- Imura – Now village
- Inaba – Rice plant field
- Ishihara – Stone meadow
- Iwamoto – Stone base
- Iwasaki – Stone cape
- Iwata – Stone rice paddy
- Kan – Interval
- Kaneda – Gold rice paddy
- Kano – Gold field
- Kasai – Fire well
- Kataoka – Single hill
- Kawamoto – River base
- Kawano – River field
- Kawasaki – River cape
- Kimoto – Tree base
- Kishimoto – Wooded cape
- Kita – North
- Kitamura – North village
- Kitano – North field
- Koga – Old river
- Komatsu – Small pine
- Kusakabe – Grass wall
- Makino – Rolling field
- Matsuo – Pine man
- Matsushita – Pine under
- Matsuura – Pine bay
- Miyata – Shrine rice paddy
- Mochizuki – Full moon
- Morishita – Forest under
- Nagai – Long well
- Naito – Inside wisteria
- Nakanishi – Middle west
- Nakao – Middle face
- Nakashima – Middle island
- Nakatani – Middle valley
- Nishida – Western rice field
- Nishino – West field
- Oba – Aunt
- Ohara – Large field
- Oikawa – Fulfilling river
- Okabe – Hillside
- Okamura – Hill village
- Okawa – Large river
- Okazaki – Hill cape
- Okubo – Large protection
- Okura – Large warehouse
- Onishi – Large west
- Osaki – Large cape
- Osawa – Large marsh
- Oshima – Large island
- Sakaguchi – Slope mouth
- Sano – Real field
- Shirai – White well
- Shiraishi – White stone
- Sugiura – Cedar bay
- Taketa – High rice paddy
- Tokuda – Moral rice paddy
- Tomita – Rich rice paddy
- Tsuchiya – Earth valley
- Yaguchi – Eight mouths
- Yamagishi – Mountain shore
- Yano – Field of arrow
- Yoshikawa – Favorable river
Cool Japanese Last Names
These Japanese surnames are best fit for action movie fans, warriors at heart, and the ones looking for a life of adventure. A cool Japanese last name immediately impacts whoever hears it, has a modern sound, and could fit in on the pages of the hottest manga.
- Araki – Wild tree
- Enomoto – River origin
- Fukazawa – Deep marsh
- Fukuhara – Deep field
- Hatanaka – Field middle
- Hidaka – High rice paddy
- Iguchi – Well mouth
- Inagaki – Rice field tree
- Ishiguro – Stone black
- Itakura – Board warehouse
- Kageyama – Shadow mountain
- Kamiya – Upper valley
- Kawahara – River field
- Kawara – River origin
- Kihara – Wooded plain
- Kishida – Wooded field
- Kitajima – North island
- Koizumi – Small spring
- Kokubo – Country protection
- Koyanagi – Little willow
- Kurata – Storehouse rice paddy
- Kurita – Storehouse rice paddy
- Kuroda – Black rice paddy
- Kuroki – Black tree
- Kurosawa – Black swamp
- Mishima – Three islands
- Mitsui – Three wells
- Morioka – Forest hill
- Moriya – Forest valley
- Naka – Middle
- Nakamoto – Middle origin
- Nakasato – Middle village
- Ninomiya – Two shrines
- Nishi – West
- Nishimoto – West origin
- Ochiai – Fall well
- Ohira – Large plain
- Oshiro – Large castle
- Sakagami – Slope god
- Sakuma – Previous bear
- Seto – Rapids
- Shimura – Island village
- Shindo – New road
- Shinoda – New rice paddy
- Shinohara – New plain
- Sugihara – Cedar plain
- Tachibana – Wild orange
- Taira – Plain
- Takai – High well
- Takamatsu – High pine
- Takase – High rapid
- Takenaka – Bamboo center
- Tatsumi – Dragon and beauty
- Tezuka – Hand hill
- Tokunaga – Everlasting eternity
- Torii – Birdhouse
- Toshima – Year island
- Toyama – Rich mountain
- Toyoda – Rich rice paddy
- Tsujimoto – Crossroad origin
- Tsuruta – Crane rice paddy
- Tsutsui – Edge
Cute Japanese Last Names
In Japanese, the word for cute is ‘kawaii,’ and these are the cutest Japanese last names! These surnames have the vibes of Hello Kitty, cherry blossoms, and the fluffy faces of Shiba Inu. They’re perfect for those who strive to be the cutest they can be daily!
- Aida – Between rice paddies
- Aihara – Blue/indigo field
- Akita – Autumn rice field
- Asakura – Shallow storehouse
- Baba – Horse place
- Chino – Blood field
- Doi – Earth well
- Eto – Branch wisteria
- Fujimura – Wisteria village
- Fujino – Wisteria field
- Fujioka – Wisteria hill
- Haga – Field edge
- Handa – Original rice paddy
- Hatano – Flag field
- Hino – Sun field
- Horie – Dug trench
- Horii – Dug well
- Hoshi – Star
- Inada – Rice paddy field
- Inui – Well above
- Iwaki – Rock tree
- Iwasa – Rock swamp
- Izumi – Spring or fountain
- Kai – Shell or restoration
- Kajiwara – Blacksmith
- Kawabe – River edge
- Kawai – River well
- Kida – Wood field
- Kido – Tree door
- Kinjo – Nearby article
- Kiyono – Clean field
- Koda – Small rice field
- Koide – Small hand
- Koike – Small pond
- Komori – Small forest
- Konno – Gold field
- Kuno – Country field
- Maki – True hope
- Matsuno – Pine field
- Miki – Beautiful tree
- Mimura – Three villages
- Miyajima – Shrine island
- Mukai – Facing
- Muto – No wisteria
- Naiya – Inside arrow
- Nanba – Southern place
- Nozawa – Field swamp
- Oi – Large well
- Oishi – Large stone
- Oka – Large hill
- Oku – Interior or innermost
- Omura – Large village
- Onuma – Large swamp
- Otsu – Large port
- Ouchi – Large interior
- Shima – Island
- Shimoda – Lower rice paddy
- Shina – Goods or merchandise
- Sonoda – Garden rice field
- Suda – Successive rice field
- Tada – Only or free
- Tani – Valley
- Ueki – Planting tree
- Uno – Harbor field
- Yagi – Eight trees
- Yamaoka – Mountain hill
- Yoshii – Good well
- Yoshioka – Good hill
Pretty Japanese Last Names
Many of these pretty Japanese last names derive from beautiful elements of nature, art, or positive emotions. When written in kanji, these surnames frequently incorporate characters that symbolize beauty, elegance, or grace.
- Akiyama – Autumn mountain
- Amano – Heavenly field
- Eguchi – Mouth of the bay
- Ezaki – Bay promontory
- Furukawa – Old river
- Furuya – Old shop
- Hamada – Beach rice field
- Hayakawa – Fast river
- Hirata – Flat rice field
- Hirayama – Flat mountain
- Hirose – Broad back
- Hori – Moat or trench
- Igarashi – Fifty storms
- Kanda – God rice field
- Katayama – One mountain
- Kitagawa – North river
- Kurihara – Chestnut plain
- Maekawa – Front river
- Matsubara – Pine grove
- Matsumura – Pine village
- Matsunaga – Pine long
- Matsuoka – Pine hill
- Minami – South
- Miyagawa – Shrine river
- Miyake – Shrine household
- Miyashita – Shrine below
- Mizuno – Water field
- Mizutani – Water valley
- Morimoto – Forest base
- Nagano – Long field
- Nagao – Long tail
- Nagashima – Long island
- Nagata – Long rice paddy
- Nakai – Middle well
- Nakazawa – Middle swamp
- Narita – Becoming rice paddy
- Nishiyama – West mountain
- Ogura – Small storehouse
- Ohashi – Large bridge
- Okuda – Large rice paddy
- Okumura – Inner village
- Omori – Large forest
- Osada – Small rice paddy
- Ozawa – Small swamp
- Sawada – Swamp rice field
- Shibuya – Bitter valley
- Shoji – Small path
- Sugimoto – Edge of the cedar
- Taguchi – Rice paddy mouth
- Takayama – High mountain
- Tanabe – Rice paddy edge
- Terada – Shining rice paddy
- Uchiyama – Inside mountain
- Uehara – Above the field
- Uemura – Above the village
- Wakabayashi – Young forest
- Yamanaka – Mountain middle
- Yamauchi – Mountain market
- Yasuda – Peaceful rice paddy
- Yokota – Horizontal rice paddy
- Yoshimura – Good village
- Yoshino – Good field
Rare Japanese Last Names
Rare Japanese last names carry a sense of history and unique identity, representing families or lineages with specific regional or historical significance. These surnames, while less commonly encountered in mainstream society, can be linked to ancient tales, specific professions, or regional dialects.
- Arita – Existence rice paddy
- Chinen – Thousand sound
- Ebara – Bay plain
- Ebihara – Shrimp field
- Eda – Branch
- Enzan – Distant mountain
- Fujisaki – Wisteria promontory
- Fukaya – Deep valley
- Fukushima – Deep island
- Furuta – Old rice paddy
- Gezan – Lower mountain
- Hagihara – Bush clover field
- Hamano – Beach field
- Hashiguchi – Bridge mouth
- Hika – Chrysanthemum
- Ijima – Well island
- Ino – Boar
- Ishiwata – Stone cotton
- Itagaki – Board fence
- Izawa – Fountain valley
- Izuka – Fountain hill
- Kodama – Small ball or echo
- Koken – Light view
- Komuro – Small room
- Konpon – Root or base
- Kusano – Grass field
- Kuwahara – Mulberry field
- Maehara – Front plain
- Mihara – Three meadows
- Miyadokorono – Palace place
- Mizuguchi – Water mouth
- Muraoka – Village hill
- Naikai – Inner sea
- Nakane – Middle sound
- Namiki – Row of trees
- Naruse – Become creek
- Nokami – Above god
- Numata – Swamp rice field
- Ohata – Large field
- Onodera – Small field temple
- Oya – Parent
- Risshaku – Standing stone
- San-Kyo – Three teachings
- San-Rin – Three woods
- Sanson – Three villages
- Sekine – Barrier root
- Senken – Diving view
- Seo – Backward tail
- Shibazaki – Lawn promontory
- Shigeki – Luxuriant tree
- Shinta – True thick
- Soma – Genuine hemp
- Someya – Dyeing valley
- Sone – Garden root
- Sugai – Nest well
- Suijo – Water castle
- Tabuchi – Rice paddy mouth
- Tahata – Many rice paddies
- Taiboku – Great tree
- Tamai – Round rice field
- Taue – Rice planting
- Tsuji – Crossroads
- Tsunoda – Constant rice field
- Ueyama – Above mountain
- Yanagi – Willow
Beautiful Japanese Last Names
Few things compare to the beauty of Japan’s language and culture. These last names are symbolic of the beauty of Japan.
- Aizawa – Between the swamp
- Arima – Exist horse
- Hatakeyama – Field mountain
- Hirota – Large rice paddy
- Horiuchi – Moat inside
- Ichimura – One village
- Ihara – Well plain
- Ishizuka – Stone mound
- Kameda – Turtle rice field
- Kanai – Inside house
- Kanazawa – Golden swamp
- Kasahara – Umbrella plain
- Kawabata – River side
- Kawata – River rice paddy
- Kishi – Shore
- Kitazawa – North swamp
- Machida – Town rice field
- Mashiko – Increasing child
- Matsushima – Pine island
- Matsuyama – Pine mountain
- Matsuzaki – Pine peninsula
- Mikami – Three gods
- Mita – Three rice paddies
- Miyagi – Shrine
- Miyazawa – Shrine swamp
- Miyoshi – Beautiful goodness
- Morikawa – Forest river
- Moriyama – Forest mountain
- Murai – Village well
- Muramatsu – Village pine
- Nagasawa – Long swamp
- Nishio – West tail
- Nonaka – Field center
- Obata – Small rice paddy
- Oe – Large bay
- Okano – Hillside field
- Saeki – Wine city
- Sakakibara – Blossom tree plain
- Shiga – Luxuriant tree
- Sugita – Next
- Takei – Bamboo well
- Takemoto – Bamboo base
- Tamaki – Ring tree
- Tashiro – Field generation
- Toda – Door rice field
- Tominaga – Rich long
- Tomioka – Rich hill
- Tsuda – Rice paddy + field
- Tsutsumi – Dike
- Tsuzuki – Continuation
- Uematsu – Above pine
- Usui – Thin well
- Wakamatsu – Young pine
- Yamakawa – Mountain river
- Yamane – Mountain ridge
- Yanagisawa – Willow swamp
- Yoshimoto – Good base
Uncommon Japanese Last Names
Uncommon Japanese last names originate from specific historical events, regions, or old professions that have become less common in contemporary times. They can serve as unique family identifiers and provide a glimpse into their ancestral past or geographic origins.
- Aoyagi – Blue willow
- Asada – Shallow rice paddy
- Dobashi – Earthen bridge
- Fukumoto – Rich origin
- Fukuyama – Lucky mountain
- Furusawa – Old swamp
- Hamazaki – Beach cape
- Hayasaka – Early slope
- Hayashida – Forest rice paddy
- Hiraoka – Flat hill
- Hosaka – Thin slope
- Hosoda – Thin rice field
- Hosoya – Thin valley
- Hyugawa – Peace river
- Imaizumi – Present spring
- Inomata – Rice paddy of boar
- Isobe – Beach
- Iwashita – Rock underneath
- Kamei – Turtle well
- Kamiyama – God mountain
- Kashiwagi – Oak tree
- Katagiri – One cut
- Kawada – River rice field
- Kawahata – River edge
- Kawauchi – River interior
- Kitahara – North plain
- Komiya – Small shrine
- Komura – Small village
- Kosaka – Small slope
- Kunai – Land well
- Kurayami – Darkness
- Makkura – Pitch dark
- Masaki – True tree
- Matsukawa – Pine river
- Matsuzawa – Pine swamp
- Minakawa – Water source river
- Mitani – Three valleys
- Miyahara – Palace plain
- Nagayama – Long mountain
- Nishihara – West plain
- Nishisawa – West swamp
- Nozaki – Field cape
- Ogiwara – Fan meadow
- Okuyama – Interior mountain
- Otani – Big valley
- Otsubo – Big pot
- Otsuki – Big moon
- Ozeki – Big seat
- Senda – Boat field
- Shimamura – Island village
- Shimazaki – Island cape
- Shimomura – Lower village
- Shinozaki – Bamboo grass cape
- Takimoto – Waterfall origin
- Tanimoto – Valley origin
- Terashima – Shining island
- Tsukada – Mound rice field
- Umeda – Plum rice field
- Usami – Thin beauty
- Yajima – Arrow island
- Yami – Darkness
- Yamiyo – Dark night
- Yanagida – Willow tree rice paddy
- Yokoi – Side well
- Yoneda – Rice field of rice plant
More Lists:
Famous People with Japanese Last Names
Oda Nobunaga was a daimyo, or feudal lord, who is today considered to be one of the great unifiers of Japan. Using innovative military tactics, he conquered vast areas and laid the foundation for a single nation. The kanji in his last Oda name means ‘small rice paddy or field’.
Yoko Ono was born in Japan and moved to New York City in 1953. She married Beatles member John Lennon in 1969. She produced avant-garde and dance music and worked to preserve Lennon’s legacy. The kanji in her last name Ono means ‘small’ and ‘field.’
Sakamoto Ryōma was a samurai and political advocate who called for a democratic Japan and increased the power of the Imperial Court. Today, he is remembered for his mixture of traditional practices and modern ideas of equality. The kanji in his name Sakamoto means ‘slope’ and ‘book’.
Isoroku Yamamoto was born in Japan in 1884 under the name Isoroku Takano. He was adopted into the Yamamoto clan in a traditional samurai manner. During World War II, he was granted the title of Marshal Admiral of the Navy and commander-in-chief of Japan’s combined fleet. The kanji in the surname Yamamoto means ‘one who lives in the mountains, or at the foot of the mountain.’
Suzuka Nakamoto graduated from a prestigious art academy in Japan and became a member of different music groups, the most prominent one being Babymetal. Babymetal combined Japanese pop music with Metal sounds and style. The kanji in the surname Nakamoto means ‘middle or center.’
References
Information from Wikipedia on common Japanese surnames and Japanese language surnames was used in the collection of this data.
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