Explore the Family Name Okuma

The meaning of Okuma

Japanese: 1. written 奥間 ‘interior space’. It is found mostly in the Ryūkyū Islands. 2. (Ōkuma): written 大熊 ‘large bear’. It is found mostly in eastern Japan. One noble family bearing this name lived in Hizen (now Nagasaki prefecture). Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Yoshiaki, Ayako, Haru, Katsushi, Kei, Keiko, Kuni, Kunihiko, Maiko, Masahiro, Masao, Masayuki.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Okuma has slightly declined in rank from 56,687 in 2000 to 57,781 in 2010, marking a change of -1.93%. The count, however, rose by 4.45%, with 337 individuals bearing this name in 2000 and 352 in 2010. The proportion per 100k people remained stable at 0.12 between these years.

20002010Change
Rank#56,687#57,781-1.93%
Count3373524.45%
Proportion per 100k0.120.120%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Okuma

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of people with the surname Okuma identified as Asian/Pacific Islander in both 2000 and 2010, although the percentage dropped from 67.06% to 59.94% during this decade. The number of those identifying as having two or more ethnicities increased by 12.20%, while the white population saw a rise of 12.81%. Notably, the black community also experienced a significant increase, with the percentage going up by 33.96%. There were no recorded Hispanics or American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals with the Okuma surname.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander67.06%59.94%-10.62%
White13.35%15.06%12.81%
Black7.42%9.94%33.96%
Two or More Races8.61%9.66%12.2%
Hispanic0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%