Explore the Family Name Awai

The meaning of Awai

Japanese: written 粟井 ‘millet well’. It is from a village so named in Yoshino district in Yamato (now Nara prefecture). The name is also written 淡相 ‘pale’ and ‘mutual’ with characters used phonetically.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Awai in the United States?

Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Awai has seen a significant increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Awai ranked 75,695 in popularity among all surnames, but by 2010 it had risen to 64,388, marking a 14.94% increase. The count of individuals with this surname also grew from 237 to 309 during this period, an increase of 30.38%. Similarly, the proportion of people with the surname Awai per 100,000 also saw an uptick, rising from 0.09 to 0.1, an 11.11% increase.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#75,695	#64,388	14.94%
Count	237	309	30.38%
Proportion per 100k	0.09	0.1	11.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Awai

The Decennial U.S. Census data also reveals some interesting shifts in the ethnic identity associated with the surname Awai. Notably, the percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander dropped from 55.27% in 2000 to 31.72% in 2010, a decrease of 42.61%. Meanwhile, those claiming two or more races increased from 24.47% to 39.16%, a substantial growth of 60.03%. The proportion associating with White ethnicity fell slightly from 6.33% to 5.18%. Hispanic representation rose significantly, moving from 5.06% to 11.00%, a change of 117.39%. Those identifying as Black also increased from 8.86% to 12.94%, a 46.05% increase. However, there was no change in the American Indian and Alaskan Native category, which remained at 0% in both years.

	2000	2010	Change
Two or More Races	24.47%	39.16%	60.03%
Asian/Pacific Islander	55.27%	31.72%	-42.61%
Black	8.86%	12.94%	46.05%
Hispanic	5.06%	11%	117.39%
White	6.33%	5.18%	-18.17%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%