Japanese last names are complicated. In the Uji-Kabane system, a person’s name was made up of their father’s family name and their mother’s family name. When a son got married, he took his wife’s family name and passed it on to any children they had. When your daughter got married she took her husband’s family name and passed it on to any children they had. This is how you knew which side of the family someone was from based on their last name.
The family name 上 ( Kami , “above”) is the more commonly used in modern times. It was used when referring to an individual and when flatly addressing a person, especially someone of lower social standing such as a commoner or servant.
For example, 山本浩一郎 Yamamoto Kōichirō was Mr. Yamamoto the First (and not Mr. Second).
List of common Japanese surnames
| Rank | Name | Romanization |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 佐藤 | Satō |
| 2 | 鈴木 | Suzuki |
| 3 | 高橋 | Takahashi |
| 4 | 田中 | Tanaka |
Japanese last names meaning
Japanese last names are not based on any kind of surname meaning or origin.
Instead, Japanese last names are categorized into kun’yomi or on’yomi. Kun’yomi is the native Japanese name whereas on’yomi is derived from Chinese pronunciation.
Kun’yomi words are mostly used by the illiterate class and they include about 90% of all Japanese surnames. On the other hand, on’yomi words are used by the intellectual class and they only account for 10% of all Japanese surnames.
f you’re looking for a simple explanation of kun’yomi and on’yomi, kun is how it sounds in Japan with no relation to characters or meanings, while on is Chinese characters that have been used to read Japanese names.
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