Explore the Family Name Morimoto
The meaning of Morimoto
Japanese: written 森本 ‘(one who lives) near the forest’ or ‘(one who is) from the forest’. It is mainly found in western Japan and the island of Okinawa. A family of Settsu (now part of Hyōgo prefecture) descended from the Ōno family (see Ono 2), while another of Kai (now Yamanashi prefecture) descended from the Minamoto clan through the Takeda. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Hiroshi, Akira, Isamu, Hitoshi, Kaz, Kiyoshi, Kunio, Masaharu, Masao, Naoki, Nobuyuki, Satoshi.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Morimoto in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Morimoto has seen a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010 in the United States. In 2000, Morimoto was ranked as the 19,090th most popular surname, but it fell to the 20,541st rank in 2010, representing a change of -7.6%. The count of individuals with this surname also decreased marginally from 1,318 in 2000 to 1,291 in 2010, indicating a -2.05% change. Proportionately, for every 100,000 people, there were 0.49 named Morimoto in 2000, but this number decreased by -10.2% to 0.44 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #19,090 | #20,541 | -7.6% |
| Count | 1,318 | 1,291 | -2.05% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.49 | 0.44 | -10.2% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Morimoto
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the Morimoto surname is predominantly associated with those of Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity. However, the percentage of individuals identifying as such decreased from 81.87% in 2000 to 78.16% in 2010, a change of -4.53%. Interestingly, the proportion of Morimotos who identify as being of two or more races increased significantly by 35.55%, from 9.03% in 2000 to 12.24% in 2010. Minor changes also occurred among those identifying as White and Hispanic, with increases of 4.95% and 8.40% respectively. There were no identified Morimotos of Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicity in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 81.87% | 78.16% | -4.53% |
| Two or More Races | 9.03% | 12.24% | 35.55% |
| White | 5.46% | 5.73% | 4.95% |
| Hispanic | 3.57% | 3.87% | 8.4% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |