Mitsuo
A masculine Japanese name meaning "shining man" or "shining hero".
Name Census estimates that about 22 living Americans carry the first name Mitsuo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Mitsuo today is around 96 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Mitsuo births was 1925 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Mitsuo. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Mitsuo is about 96 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Mitsuos were born before 1940.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Mitsuo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
22
~ 1 in 15,579,743 Americans
Peak year
1925
40 babies that year
Average age
96
years old
1940 SSA rank
#3,789
Tracked since 1912
Census
Mitsuo in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 236 people with the first name Mitsuo, which placed it at #34,545 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#34,545
National first-name rank
People counted
236
236 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
89.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mitsuo
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mitsuo is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Mitsuo described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Mitsuo at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.8% · 212
- Two or more races4.2% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 8
- White2.1% · 5
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
Popularity
Mitsuo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Mitsuo from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 321 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mitsuo by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Mitsuo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Mitsuos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Mitsuo
Mitsuo is a masculine Japanese given name with a rich cultural heritage dating back to the Heian period (794-1185 CE). The name is composed of two kanji characters: "mitsu" meaning "light" or "bright," and "o" meaning "male" or "man." Historically, the name was associated with nobility and distinguished families in Japan.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Mitsuo is found in the ancient Japanese text, "The Tale of Genji," written in the early 11th century by the prominent author Murasaki Shikibu. In this literary masterpiece, a minor character bears the name Mitsuo, suggesting its usage among the aristocracy during the Heian period.
During the Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE), the name Mitsuo gained popularity among samurai warriors and feudal lords. One notable figure was Mitsuo Tokugawa (1569-1592), a member of the powerful Tokugawa clan and a distinguished military leader who fought alongside Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Sengoku period.
In the Edo period (1603-1868 CE), Mitsuo Hashimoto (1737-1786) was a renowned scholar and poet who contributed significantly to the development of Japanese literature and philosophy. His works, including haiku and waka poetry, are still studied and appreciated today.
Moving into the modern era, Mitsuo Fuchida (1902-1976) was a Japanese naval aviator and captain who led the air attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II. Despite his role in the infamous attack, he later converted to Christianity and became an advocate for peace and reconciliation between Japan and the United States.
Another notable bearer of the name was Mitsuo Aida (1924-1991), a Japanese sculptor and ceramist known for his avant-garde and abstract works. His sculptures and ceramic pieces are displayed in museums and galleries around the world, showcasing his unique artistic vision and innovative techniques.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and cultural significance associated with the Japanese given name Mitsuo. From ancient literary works to modern artistic and military figures, the name has left an indelible mark on Japanese society and culture over the centuries.
People
Mitsuo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Mitsuo as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Mitsuo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Mitsuo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 22 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Mitsuo going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 15,579,743 US residents.
Is Mitsuo a common name?
We classify Mitsuo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 41.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 521 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Mitsuo most popular?
The single biggest year for Mitsuo was 1925, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Mitsuo is about 96 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Mitsuo in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 236 people with the name Mitsuo, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,545 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Mitsuo in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Mitsuo?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Mitsuo appears almost entirely male. Of the 234 people counted with this name, 99.1% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Mitsuo?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Mitsuo is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Mitsuo most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Mitsuo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (212 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Mitsuo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Mitsuo a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Mitsuo in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Mitsuo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Mitsuo in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Mitsuo can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Mitsuo?
Find out how many people have the name Mitsuo on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.