Explore the Family Name Fujiwara

The meaning of Fujiwara

Japanese: written 藤原 ‘wisteria plain’. It is the name of the greatest noble clan of classical Japan. They descend from the statesman Nakatomi no Kamatari (614–69), who was awarded the Fujiwara surname by Emperor Tenji for his part in crushing the powerful Soga family and placing Tenji on the throne. Fujiwara is a common placename in Japan. Kamatari’s birthplace was Fujiwara in Yamato (in present-day Kashihara-shi, Nara prefecture). The surname is listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku, as is the ancestral name, Nakatomi. The family claims descent from Ame no Koyane, a son of the deity Takamimusubi and a companion of the mythical hero Ninigi. History: Two major branches of the clan are the ‘northern’ and ‘southern’ Fujiwara, named for the relative locations of the mansions of their founders, two grandsons of Fujiwara Kamatari: Muchimaro (680–737; northern) and Fusasaki (682–737; southern). The family rose to greatness during the 10th and 11th centuries by marrying daughters to emperors and other important court figures. The name is no longer common in its original form, but local variants such as Satō (see Sato), Itō (see Ito), Saitō (see Saito), and Katō (see Kato) make the Fujiwara the largest clan in Japan. Many variants of the name were created by taking the first syllable of the name of a family head’s residence, or of his official title, and adding to it the suffix -tō, which is the Sino-Japanese reading of the word fuji (‘wisteria’). Thus, for example, the Fujiwara of Sano (Sano no Fujiwara) are called Satō. The name Fujiwara appears in Hawaiian records in the late 18th century. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Makoto, Masataka, Akihiko, Akio, Hideo, Junko, Kazuhiro, Kiyoto, Koji, Miho, Minoru, Toru.

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