In April 2025, a statistical report based on surname data released the "2025 Japan Surname Rankings," covering 9,500 surnames. The top-ranked surname is "Sato," followed by "Suzuki" and "Takahashi," while the last-ranked surname is "Haba," at 9,500th place, with approximately 780 people nationwide in Japan.
The rankings are based on government statistical data and telephone directory information, compiled through specific applications and website databases, including only verified actual family surnames. The data, as of April 2024, is rounded and sorted by population size.
The top ten surnames are: Sato (approx. 1.81 million), Suzuki, Takahashi, Tanaka, Ito, Watanabe, Yamamoto, Nakamura, Kobayashi, and Kato. In contrast, lower-ranked surnames have fewer people, such as "Taketake," "Ogisawa," "Makawa," and "Nanasawa" at positions 9,496 to 9,499, and "Haba" at the bottom.
Adding up the populations of the top 30 surnames (from "Sato" to "Shimizu"), Japan has approximately 22.85 million people, accounting for about 18% of the total population. In contrast, the bottom 30 surnames (positions 9,471 to 9,500) total about 23,400 people, representing only 0.02% of the population, making them relatively rare surnames.
Top 20 Japanese Surnames
| Rank | Surname | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Sato | Approx. 1,813,000 |
| 2nd | Suzuki | Approx. 1,757,000 |
| 3rd | Takahashi | Approx. 1,372,000 |
| 4th | Tanaka | Approx. 1,302,000 |
| 5th | Ito | Approx. 1,045,000 |
| 6th | Watanabe | Approx. 1,035,000 |
| 7th | Yamamoto | Approx. 1,021,000 |
| 8th | Nakamura | Approx. 1,018,000 |
| 9th | Kobayashi | Approx. 1,003,000 |
| 10th | Kato | Approx. 867,000 |
| 11th | Yoshida | Approx. 807,000 |
| 12th | Yamada | Approx. 793,000 |
| 13th | Sasaki | Approx. 650,000 |
| 14th | Yamaguchi | Approx. 627,000 |
| 15th | Matsumoto | Approx. 611,000 |
| 16th | Inoue | Approx. 599,000 |
| 17th | Kimura | Approx. 560,000 |
| 18th | Hayashi | Approx. 532,000 |
| 19th | Saito | Approx. 528,000 |
| 20th | Shimizu | Approx. 520,000 |
Bottom 20 Japanese Surnames
| 9,480th | Kusume | Approx. 780 |
| 9,481st | Daido | Approx. 780 |
| 9,482nd | Tsuruzawa | Approx. 780 |
| 9,483rd | Kokushi | Approx. 780 |
| 9,484th | Makiya | Approx. 780 |
| 9,485th | Watari | Approx. 780 |
| 9,486th | Kagei | Approx. 780 |
| 9,487th | Nawashiro | Approx. 780 |
| 9,488th | Isoko | Approx. 780 |
| 9,489th | Imakura | Approx. 780 |
| 9,490th | Funatogawa | Approx. 780 |
| 9,491st | Makiyama | Approx. 780 |
| 9,492nd | Irimura | Approx. 780 |
| 9,493rd | Ikada | Approx. 780 |
| 9,494th | Ichihara | Approx. 780 |
| 9,495th | Seto | Approx. 780 |
| 9,496th | Taketake | Approx. 780 |
| 9,497th | Ogisawa | Approx. 780 |
| 9,498th | Makawa | Approx. 780 |
| 9,499th | Nanasawa | Approx. 780 |
| 9,500th | Haba | Approx. 780 |
