Explore the Family Name Kobe
The meaning of Kobe
1. Slovenian: from a short form of Jakobe, an old pet form of the personal name Jakob. 2. German (also Köbe) and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from a pet form of the personal name Jakob. 3. Japanese (Kōbe): written 神戸 ‘divine door’. It is a habitational name which began as occupational, meaning the private residence of a chief priest of a Shintō shrine; it could also indicate others who lived near his residence. The name is mainly found in eastern Japan, but because of the importance of the western port city of Kōbe, some emigrants from the city may have taken their surnames from it. This surname is very rare in the US. In Japan it is more correctly pronounced Kanbe; other alternate pronunciations are Jinbe and Kamito.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Kobe in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Kobe" has seen a slight increase in the United States from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Kobe was ranked 29,784th most common surname and it climbed to the 29,029th position by 2010, marking a change of 2.57%. The count of individuals with this surname also rose by 9.8%, from 745 in 2000 to 818 in 2010. Despite these changes, the proportion per 100,000 people remained consistent at 0.28, indicating that the growth of the Kobe surname kept pace with the overall population increase.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #29,784 | #29,019 | 2.57% |
| Count | 745 | 818 | 9.8% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.28 | 0.28 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kobe
When evaluating the ethnic identity associated with the surname "Kobe," based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, there were noticeable shifts between 2000 and 2010. The individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 64.18%, from 1.34% to 2.20%. People reporting two or more ethnicities nearly doubled, going from 1.48% to 2.93%. The percentage of individuals who identify as White decreased by 6.06%, from 94.09% to 88.39%. The Hispanic representation showed a minor increase of 4.26%, from 1.88% to 1.96%. Interestingly, there were no individuals identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2000, but these categories reported numbers in 2010: 3.91% for Black and 0.61% for American Indian and Alaskan Native. This indicates a diversification in the ethnic identities associated with the surname "Kobe."
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.09% | 88.39% | -6.06% |
| Black | 0% | 3.91% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 1.48% | 2.93% | 97.97% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.34% | 2.2% | 64.18% |
| Hispanic | 1.88% | 1.96% | 4.26% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.61% | 0% |