Explore the Family Name Yamaoka

The meaning of Yamaoka

Japanese: written 山岡 ‘mountain hill’. It is a topographic and habitational name found chiefly in western Japan. Bearers from a district in Yamato (now Nara prefecture) are of Minamoto origin, while those from Ōmi (now Shiga prefecture) descend from the Ban family. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Hiroshi, Hisashi, Kazuya, Yukio, Eriko, Fumiko, Haruko, Hideaki, Hiroyuki, Kaoru, Kazuko, Koichi.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Yamaoka has seen a slight decline in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 58,692nd most common surname and fell to the 65,066th position in 2010, representing a decrease of approximately 10.86%. The number of individuals with this surname also decreased from 323 in 2000 to 305 in 2010, a drop of roughly 5.57%. The proportion of people with the Yamaoka surname per 100,000 population decreased by 16.67% over the same period.

20002010Change
Rank#58,692#65,066-10.86%
Count323305-5.57%
Proportion per 100k0.120.1-16.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Yamaoka

Looking at ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that a significant majority of individuals with the Yamaoka surname identify as Asian/Pacific Islander, although this group saw a slight decline from 85.14% in 2000 to 80.66% in 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as two or more races increased dramatically from 6.19% to 10.16% during the same decade, a rise of 64.14%. There was also a modest increase in the percentage of people identifying as White, up from 6.50% in 2000 to 8.20% in 2010. The groups identifying as Hispanic and Black showed no representation in the data for either year, and the American Indian and Alaskan Native category also remained at zero throughout this period.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander85.14%80.66%-5.26%
Two or More Races6.19%10.16%64.14%
White6.5%8.2%26.15%
Hispanic2.17%0%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%