Explore the Family Name Maekawa

The meaning of Maekawa

Japanese: written 前川 ‘river in front’. It is found mostly in western Japan and the Ryūkyū Islands. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Kazuo, Koji, Aki, Akira, Atsushi, Eishi, Genji, Haruo, Hiro, Hiroaki, Hiroko, Hiromichi.

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

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

The surname Maekawa, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data, has seen a decrease in its popularity over the years. In 2000, it was ranked 59,916th on the list of most common surnames in the United States. By 2010, it had dropped in rank to 73,464th, showing a decrease of approximately 22.61%. The count of people with this surname also reduced from 315 in 2000 to 264 in 2010 which is a decline of around 16.19%. Consequently, the proportion of individuals bearing the Maekawa surname per 100,000 people also declined by 25% between 2000 and 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#59,916	#73,464	-22.61%
Count	315	264	-16.19%
Proportion per 100k	0.12	0.09	-25%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Maekawa

When looking at the ethnic identity associated with the surname Maekawa, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. There was an increase of this group from 90.79% in 2000 to 94.70% in 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as two or more races, however, decreased significantly from 4.44% to 1.89% during the same period. The percentage of White individuals saw a slight increase from 2.54% in 2000 to 2.65% in 2010. The census reported no individuals of Hispanic, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicity bearing the Maekawa surname in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Asian/Pacific Islander	90.79%	94.7%	4.31%
White	2.54%	2.65%	4.33%
Two or More Races	4.44%	1.89%	-57.43%
Hispanic	1.9%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%