2000
#14,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,918
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Ishii
A Japanese surname referring to someone who lived on or near a stone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,046 Americans carry the last name Ishii. That puts it at #15,760 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 167,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ishii surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 167,524
Census rank
#15,760
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,784 bearers of the surname Ishii in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15760th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ishii, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and White (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ishii
The surname Ishii has its origins in Japan, dating back to the early 8th century during the Nara period. It is derived from the Japanese words "ishi" meaning stone and "i" meaning well or spring, suggesting a connection to a location near a stone well or spring.
One of the earliest known references to the name Ishii can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an early 8th-century Japanese chronicle. This document mentions an individual named Ishii no Sukemaro, a government official who served during the reign of Emperor Shomu.
During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the Ishii family held significant influence and power in the Kanto region of Japan. The Ishii clan was known for their military prowess and played a crucial role in various conflicts during this era.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Ishii Naoshige (1290-1367) emerged as a skilled warrior and strategist. He was a loyal retainer of the Kamakura shogunate and participated in several battles against the rising powers of the time.
The Ishii name has also been associated with notable scholars and artists throughout Japanese history. One such individual was Ishii Masaaki (1592-1667), a renowned calligrapher and poet who lived during the Edo period.
Another noteworthy individual bearing the Ishii surname was Ishii Kikuchi (1661-1705), a celebrated Haiku poet and writer who contributed significantly to the development of Japanese literature during the Genroku era.
In the 19th century, Ishii Baian (1809-1870) was a prominent Buddhist monk and scholar who played a crucial role in the revival of Zen Buddhism in Japan. His teachings and writings had a profound impact on the spiritual and intellectual landscape of the time.
Throughout its long history, the Ishii surname has been closely associated with various regions and place names within Japan, particularly in the Kanto and Chubu regions. Some of these place names include Ishii-mura (Ishii village) and Ishii-cho (Ishii town), which further reinforce the connection between the name and its geographical origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ishii
Among Census respondents with the surname Ishii, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and White (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ishii bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ishii surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander73.9% · 1,319
- Two or more races12.1% · 215
- White8.2% · 146
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 97
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ishii
Ishii appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#15,606
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,873
-45 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 1,281 places
2020
#15,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,784
-89 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 154 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,325 | 1,918 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,606 | 1,873 | 0.63 | -45 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 1,281 places |
| 2020 | #15,760 | 1,784 | 0.60 | -89 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 154 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ishii surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,606 | #15,760 | -1.0% |
| Count | 1,873 | 1,784 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.60 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ishii bearers went from 1,873 to 1,784 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 154 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,606 to #15,760.
FAQ
Ishii surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ishii?
Name Census estimates that about 2,046 living Americans carry the surname Ishii. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 167,524 residents.
How common is Ishii?
Ishii ranks #15,760 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,784 people with the surname Ishii. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,046), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ishii.
Has Ishii become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ishii went from 1,873 recorded bearers to 1,784. That is a decrease of 89 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,606 to #15,760.
What does the Census say about the background of Ishii?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ishii, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.1%) and White (8.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ishii in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.9% (1,319 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ishii appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (73.9%), Two or More Races (12.1%), White (8.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ishii (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ishii mean?
A Japanese surname referring to someone who lived on or near a stone. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ishii (0.60 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Ishii?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.