Explore the Family Name Watabe

The meaning of Watabe

Japanese: alternate reading of Watanabe.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Watabe rose in popularity between the years 2000 to 2010. In the year 2000, Watabe ranked 131,366 in popularity and increased to a rank of 117,480 by 2010, marking a 10.57% increase. The count of individuals with this surname also grew from 119 people in 2000 to 148 in 2010, reflecting a significant growth of 24.37%. Proportionally, for every 100,000 people, there were about 0.04 people named Watabe in 2000, which rose to approximately 0.05 in 2010, suggesting an increase of 25%.

20002010Change
Rank#131,366#117,48010.57%
Count11914824.37%
Proportion per 100k0.040.0525%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Watabe

The Decennial U.S. Census data also reveals shifts in the ethnic identity associated with the Watabe surname from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, a majority of those with the Watabe surname, 83.19%, identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, but this decreased to 70.27% in 2010. Interestingly, there was a significant increase in the percentage of Watabe individuals identifying with two or more races, rising from 6.72% in 2000 to 19.59% in 2010. The proportion of those identifying as White dropped slightly from 10.08% in 2000 to 9.46% in 2010. There were no recorded individuals with the Watabe surname who identified as Hispanic, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native during these census years.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander83.19%70.27%-15.53%
Two or More Races6.72%19.59%191.52%
White10.08%9.46%-6.15%
Hispanic0%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%