Explore the Family Name Kumagai
The meaning of Kumagai
Japanese: written 熊谷 ‘bear valley’; also pronounced Kumatani, Kumaya, and Kumagaya. It is found in northeastern and western Japan, a habitational name from the town of Kumagaya in Musashi (now part of Saitama prefecture). The earliest bearers were of Taira descent. In fact, the town was named after Kumagai Naozane, a 12th-century warrior featured in a famous story in the epic Heike monogatari ‘Tales of the Taira’. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Akira, Akiko, Kazuo, Tomoyuki, Toshimi, Yoshio, Yuriko, Akihiko, Atsushi, Chiharu, Chizuko, Harumi.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Kumagai in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Kumagai was ranked 41,522nd in popularity in the year 2000 and dropped to 43,811th by 2010—a decrease of 5.51%. The count of individuals carrying the name also slightly decreased from 494 in 2000 to 492 in 2010, marking a minor reduction of 0.4%. Consequently, the proportion per 100k people also fell from 0.18 to 0.17, showing a decline of 5.56%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #41,522 | #43,811 | -5.51% |
| Count | 494 | 492 | -0.4% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.18 | 0.17 | -5.56% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kumagai
In terms of ethnic identity, again as per the Decennial U.S. Census data, the majority of those with the Kumagai surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, although this percentage dropped from 85.63% in 2000 to 79.88% in 2010. There was a significant increase in the percentage identifying as two or more races, with a rise from 5.87% to 10.16%. Those self-identifying as white saw a slight increase from 6.28% to 6.71%, while individuals identifying as Hispanic rose from 2.02% to 3.05%. There was no change for those identifying as Black, American Indian, and Alaskan Native, with these categories remaining at 0%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 85.63% | 79.88% | -6.71% |
| Two or More Races | 5.87% | 10.16% | 73.08% |
| White | 6.28% | 6.71% | 6.85% |
| Hispanic | 2.02% | 3.05% | 50.99% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |