How common is the surname Watanabe?

6,204 people in the United States had the surname Watanabe in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 49,766 Americans. It ranked 5,605th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Watanabe?

Fumio Watanabe, actor (1929-2004), followed by Greg Watanabe.

Where is the surname Watanabe most common?

Wikidata records people named Watanabe in the Empire of Japan and the United States.

Is the surname Watanabe getting more or less common?

Less common. 6,295 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 6,204 in 2010, down 1.4%.

The surname Watanabe

A Japanese surname, carried by 6,204 people in the United States.

4 syllables Soundex W351

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Watanabe is more common than 96.5% of them.

Origin

Japanese origin

Borrowed from Japanese 渡辺 (Watanabe) or 渡部 (Watanabe).

One of 123 Japanese surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 6,204 people named Watanabe in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 49,766 Americans. That is down 1.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 6,295.

#5,605

rank among US surnames

6,204

people in 2010

2.1

per 100,000 Americans

-1.4%

change since 2000 (was #5,115)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#5,596	Click	6,216	49,669
#5,598	Harbison	6,215	49,677
#5,600	McSwain	6,213	49,693
#5,601	Chinn	6,211	49,709
#5,602	Yip	6,208	49,733
#5,603	Saravia	6,207	49,742
#5,604	Gabbard	6,205	49,758

Who is named Watanabe

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

79% of people named Watanabe identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 10% as two or more races and 6.8% as white (not Hispanic).

Asian and Pacific Islander 79%
Two or more races 10%
White (not Hispanic) 6.8%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 3.4%

The Census suppresses very small shares to protect privacy; Black, Native American are not shown.

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Watanabes

2 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Fumio Watanabe
Actor (1929-2004)
Greg Watanabe
American actor, born 1967

Notable Watanabes come mostly from the Empire of Japan (1) and the United States (1).

Other Japanese surnames

All 123 Japanese surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Watanabe come from?: Borrowed from Japanese 渡辺 (Watanabe) or 渡部 (Watanabe).
How common is the surname Watanabe?: 6,204 people in the United States had the surname Watanabe in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 49,766 Americans. It ranked 5,605th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Watanabe?: In the 2010 Census, 79% of people named Watanabe identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 10% as two or more races.
Who is the most famous person named Watanabe?: Fumio Watanabe, actor (1929-2004), followed by Greg Watanabe.
Where is the surname Watanabe most common?: Wikidata records people named Watanabe in the Empire of Japan and the United States.
Is the surname Watanabe getting more or less common?: Less common. 6,295 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 6,204 in 2010, down 1.4%.