Explore the Family Name Kishi

The meaning of Kishi

Japanese: written 岸 ‘shore’, a topographic name found throughout Japan. An older, phonetic rendering 吉志 is listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Hajime, Miyoshi, Haruo, Hideya, Hiromi, Hiroshi, Hisashi, Junji, Junko, Kanji, Kazu, Kazuhiro.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Kishi has seen a decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Kishi was ranked as the 42,529th most common surname, but by 2010, it had fallen to 51,723rd, representing a drop of approximately 21.62%. Similarly, the count of individuals with the Kishi surname decreased from 480 in 2000 to 402 in 2010, a decline of about 16.25%. The proportion per 100,000 people also fell from 0.18 in 2000 to 0.14 in 2010, reflecting a decrease of 22.22%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#42,529	#51,723	-21.62%
Count	480	402	-16.25%
Proportion per 100k	0.18	0.14	-22.22%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kishi

Regarding the ethnicity associated with the surname Kishi, data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that between 2000 and 2010, there were some shifts. The majority of individuals with this surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander in both years, but the percentage dropped slightly from 84.38% in 2000 to 81.34% in 2010. The number of individuals identifying as two or more races increased significantly, up by 28.98% to 6.72% in 2010. There was also a small increase in those identifying as White, from 7.71% to 8.46%, and Hispanic, from 2.71% to 2.99%. No one with the Kishi surname identified as Black, American Indian, or Alaskan Native in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
Asian/Pacific Islander	84.38%	81.34%	-3.6%
White	7.71%	8.46%	9.73%
Two or More Races	5.21%	6.72%	28.98%
Hispanic	2.71%	2.99%	10.33%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%