2000
#96,918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Kitano
From a Japanese place name meaning "north field".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 213 Americans carry the last name Kitano. That puts it at #102,982 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,609,175 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kitano 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
213
1 in 1,609,175
Census rank
#102,982
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
186
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 186 bearers of the surname Kitano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 102982nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitano, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and White (10.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kitano
The surname Kitano originates from Japan and has its roots in the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Japanese word "kita," meaning north, and "no," meaning field or plain, suggesting that the name may have initially referred to a person who lived in a northern field or plain area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kitano can be found in the Muromachi period (1336-1573), where it appears in some historical documents related to samurai families and landowners in the Kansai region of Japan. During this time, the name was often written using the kanji characters 北野, which carry the same meaning as the etymological origin.
In the Edo period (1603-1868), the Kitano surname gained prominence in the city of Kyoto, where a prominent merchant family with this name established themselves. The family's wealth and influence grew, and they became known for their involvement in the textile trade and their support of cultural and artistic endeavors.
One notable figure bearing the Kitano surname was Kitano Tenjin Enari (1516-1594), a renowned Shinto priest and scholar who served at the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto. This shrine, dedicated to the deified form of the scholar Sugawara no Michizane, became a significant center of learning and culture during his tenure.
Another historical figure with the Kitano surname was Kitano Tsunetomi (1635-1705), a prominent Confucian scholar and philosopher who served as a court advisor during the Edo period. His writings on ethics and governance were highly influential and contributed to the development of Neo-Confucian thought in Japan.
During the Meiji era (1868-1912), the Kitano family from Kyoto continued to play a role in the cultural and economic life of the city. One notable member was Kitano Tomotari (1857-1932), a successful businessman and philanthropist who established several educational institutions and supported the preservation of traditional Japanese arts and crafts.
In the 20th century, the name Kitano gained international recognition through the work of the celebrated film director Kitano Takeshi (born 1947), known for his distinctive cinematic style and exploration of themes such as violence, alienation, and human resilience.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kitano
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitano, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and White (10.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Kitano 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 Kitano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander73.7% · 137
- Two or more races13.4% · 25
- White10.8% · 20
- Black or African American1.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kitano
Kitano 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
#94,311
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 194
+20 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 2,607 places
2020
#102,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 186
-8 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 8,671 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #96,918 | 174 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #94,311 | 194 | 0.07 | +20 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 2,607 places |
| 2020 | #102,982 | 186 | 0.06 | -8 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 8,671 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 Kitano 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 | #94,311 | #102,982 | -9.2% |
| Count | 194 | 186 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kitano bearers went from 194 to 186 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 8,671 positions in the national ranking, going from #94,311 to #102,982.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kitano
FAQ
Kitano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kitano?
Name Census estimates that about 213 living Americans carry the surname Kitano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,609,175 residents.
How common is Kitano?
Kitano ranks #102,982 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 186 people with the surname Kitano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (213), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kitano.
Has Kitano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kitano went from 194 recorded bearers to 186. That is a decrease of 8 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #94,311 to #102,982.
What does the Census say about the background of Kitano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kitano, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and White (10.8%). 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 Kitano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (137 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kitano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (73.7%), Two or More Races (13.4%), White (10.8%). 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 Kitano (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 Kitano mean?
From a Japanese place name meaning "north field". 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 Kitano (0.06 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 Americans have the surname Kitano?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.