Explore the Family Name Hata

The meaning of Hata

Japanese: written 秦, also phonetically 羽田, 羽太, 波田, ハ多 and so forth. It is the name of an ancient clan descended from the family and followers of Yuzuki no Kimi, a Korean prince who claimed descent from Qin Shihuangdi, Emperor of China (259–210 BC). Many of these followers were skilled silk producers and weavers; they were therefore given the name Hata meaning ‘loom’. Listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku, the name is related etymologically to Hattori ‘clothing guild’. Actually, the character 秦, pronounced qin (or ch’in) in Chinese, has nothing to do with weaving; it means ‘flourishing rice plants’. As the name of the first clan to conquer and unify the rest of China, it is the source of the name China. It is likely that the reading hata was arbitrarily applied by the newly literate Japanese to the character qin because the newly arrived weavers claimed Qin clan connections, or at least were perceived as being ‘Chinese’. Also sometimes pronounced Hada. History: According to the Nihon shoki, Yuzuki no Kimi migrated from Korea to Japan during the reign of Emperor Ōjin (late 4th century) with thousands of followers. They settled in the Yamato-Yamashiro heartland, especially in the region of present-day Kyōto. The family later enjoyed very close relations with Prince Regent Shōtoku (564–622), a statesman and Sinophile known as the ‘father of Japanese civilization’. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Yuko, Hiro, Nobuhiko, Takao, Takashi, Yoshio, Akemi, Akiko, Akinori, Akira, Arisa, Chisato.

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