2000
#4,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,887
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.92
Rare Last name
Tanaka
A Japanese surname meaning "dweller in the middle of the rice fields" or "in the rice fields."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,376 Americans carry the last name Tanaka. That puts it at #4,706 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tanaka 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
8.4K
1 in 40,921
Census rank
#4,706
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,304 bearers of the surname Tanaka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4706th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tanaka, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and White (7.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tanaka
The surname Tanaka is of Japanese origin and is one of the most common surnames in Japan. Its roots can be traced back to the Heian period (794-1185 AD), when the name was first used as a descriptive term for fields or rice paddies located in a flat valley or basin area.
Tanaka is derived from the Japanese words "tana," meaning a flat space or valley, and "ka," meaning a suffix indicating a location or area. The name likely originated in the Kansai region of Japan, where many flat valleys and basins were suitable for rice cultivation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Tanaka surname can be found in the "Azuma Kagami" (The Mirror of the East), a historical chronicle compiled in the late 13th century. The text mentions a samurai named Tanaka Hiroshige, who served under the Kamakura shogunate in the late 12th century.
In the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the Tanaka clan gained prominence as a powerful samurai family in the Kansai region. They controlled vast tracts of land and played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the time.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), several notable figures bore the Tanaka surname. One such individual was Tanaka Kyūgu (1663-1718), a renowned Zen Buddhist monk and poet who served as the abbot of the Myōshin-ji temple in Kyoto.
Another prominent Tanaka was Tanaka Hisashige (1799-1881), a influential daimyo (feudal lord) who played a crucial role in the Meiji Restoration and the transition from the Tokugawa shogunate to the modern Japanese state.
In the 20th century, Tanaka Giichi (1864-1929) was a highly respected statesman and prime minister of Japan from 1927 to 1929. He was known for his efforts to promote democracy and parliamentary government in Japan.
Tanaka Kakuei (1918-1993) was a influential politician who served as the Prime Minister of Japan from 1972 to 1974. He was known for his efforts to revitalize the Japanese economy and his involvement in the Lockheed bribery scandal.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Tanaka, which remains one of the most common and widespread surnames in Japan today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tanaka
Among Census respondents with the surname Tanaka, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and White (7.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tanaka 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 Tanaka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander76.4% · 5,578
- Two or more races11.3% · 822
- White7.7% · 560
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 308
- Black or African American0.4% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tanaka
Tanaka 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
#4,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,994
+107 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.71
Rank movement Down 279 places
2020
#4,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,304
-690 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 2.44
Rank movement Down 267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,160 | 7,887 | 2.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,439 | 7,994 | 2.71 | +107 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 279 places |
| 2020 | #4,706 | 7,304 | 2.44 | -690 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 267 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 Tanaka 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 | #4,439 | #4,706 | -6.0% |
| Count | 7,994 | 7,304 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.71 | 2.44 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tanaka bearers went from 7,994 to 7,304 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 267 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,439 to #4,706.
FAQ
Tanaka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tanaka?
Name Census estimates that about 8,376 living Americans carry the surname Tanaka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,921 residents.
How common is Tanaka?
Tanaka ranks #4,706 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,304 people with the surname Tanaka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Tanaka.
Has Tanaka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tanaka went from 7,994 recorded bearers to 7,304. That is a decrease of 690 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,439 to #4,706.
What does the Census say about the background of Tanaka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tanaka, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and White (7.7%). 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 Tanaka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.4% (5,578 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tanaka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (76.4%), Two or More Races (11.3%), White (7.7%). 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 Tanaka (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 Tanaka mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "dweller in the middle of the rice fields" or "in the rice fields." 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 Tanaka (2.44 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 have the surname Tanaka?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.