Explore the Family Name Sugawara

The meaning of Sugawara

Japanese: written 菅原 ‘sedge plain’. It is found mostly in northeastern Japan and is listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku as Sugahara. Some bearers of the name pronounce it Kanbara. In feudal times some families shortened their name to Suga. History: The Sugawara family was prominent at the Japanese court throughout the ninth century. Their most noted son, Sugawara no Michizane (845–903), was a famous scholar and poet who is now revered as the patron saint of scholarship. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Eriko, Katsuya, Seiji, Takeshi, Yutaka, Etsuko, Fujio, Fumio, Hajime, Hiroki, Hisao, Isao.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname 'Sugawara' has seen a decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 53,047th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had fallen to the 64,559th spot, indicating a decline of 21.7 percent. Similarly, the count of individuals with the Sugawara surname also decreased from 366 in 2000 to 308 in 2010, a drop of 15.85 percent. The proportion of people with this surname per 100k population also dropped from 0.14 in 2000 to 0.1 in 2010, representing a decrease of 28.57 percent.

20002010Change
Rank#53,047#64,559-21.7%
Count366308-15.85%
Proportion per 100k0.140.1-28.57%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sugawara

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates that the majority of individuals with the Sugawara surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, although this percentage has decreased from 91.26 percent in 2000 to 86.04 percent in 2010. The proportion of people identifying with two or more ethnicities increased significantly during this period, rising from 2.73 percent to 6.17 percent, a whopping change of 126.01 percent. There were slight changes in the White and Hispanic categories; the percentage of White decreased by 7.52 percent while the Hispanic category saw an introduction of 2.27 percent in 2010. No change was observed in the Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native categories.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander91.26%86.04%-5.72%
Two or More Races2.73%6.17%126.01%
White4.92%4.55%-7.52%
Hispanic0%2.27%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%