Explore the Family Name Tanigawa

The meaning of Tanigawa

Japanese: written 谷川 ‘valley river’. Some families pronounce the name Tanikawa. It is found mostly in western Honshū. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Toru, Chieko, Fumio, Hajime, Hidehiro, Hiromichi, Hiroshi, Ikuko, Kanichi, Katsuki, Katsumi, Kenji.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Tanigawa has seen a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Tanigawa ranked at 55,609, but by 2010 it had fallen to 57,516, marking a 3.43% drop in rank. Despite this fall in rank, the count of individuals with this surname actually increased from 345 to 354, showing a growth of 2.61%. However, when considering the proportion per 100k people, there was a slight decrease from 0.13 in 2000 to 0.12 in 2010, a change of -7.69%.

20002010Change
Rank#55,609#57,516-3.43%
Count3453542.61%
Proportion per 100k0.130.12-7.69%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tanigawa

Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of individuals with the Tanigawa surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, although this percentage decreased from 80.58% in 2000 to 76.55% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying with two or more races saw an increase, moving from 12.46% in 2000 to 16.95% in 2010. While the percentage of those who identify as White also increased slightly from 5.51% to 6.21%, there were no changes in the percentages for Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnic identities.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander80.58%76.55%-5%
Two or More Races12.46%16.95%36.04%
White5.51%6.21%12.7%
Hispanic0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%