Unusual Japanese family names

**Maciamo** · Sep 15, 2004, 12:02

What unusual Japanese family names do you know ?

The following are quite rare I think :

Aso 阿蘇
Doi　土井
Doihara　土居原　土肥原　土井原
Eto 江藤
Iko　?
Konoe　近衛
Kido 木戸
Mesuda　召田
Mizota　溝田
Nukaga　額賀
Obata　小幡
Okudaira　奥平
Osumi　大隈
Yanaihara 矢内原

**Ewok85** · Sep 15, 2004, 20:12

My girlfriend is Manai, I cant remember the kanji so I'll repost it later :P

**Apollo** · Sep 15, 2004, 20:27

Originally Posted by Maciamo

Doi　

I agree that Doi is quite rare - but normal, it is my mother's maiden name.

**kirei_na_me** · Sep 15, 2004, 20:39

My husband has a cousin who's also a Doi.

**nekosasori** · Sep 16, 2004, 23:22

Wasn't there a famous woman politician whose surname was Doi?

I know a Mano-san (眞野)

My mother's maiden name isn't too common, either though not exactly "rare" - Oyamada (小山田）

**-Yu-** · Sep 16, 2004, 23:40

I think those names that Maciamo wrote aren't that unusual.
The one that I think is rare is Dairaku 大楽, this is my friend's name, it sounds like a restaurant name.

One more, 西別府　ni shi be ppu.

**Ewok85** · Sep 17, 2004, 00:44

真名井 - as promised, Manai

**Apollo** · Sep 17, 2004, 01:00

Originally Posted by nekosasori

Wasn't there a famous woman politician whose surname was Doi?

You are absolutely right!!!

TAKAKO DOI was the leader of Social Democratic Party from 1986 (the first woman) and speaker of the House of Representatives during the Social Democratic Government.

She is a kind of a role model for female politicians in Japan.

**Lina Inverse** · Sep 17, 2004, 04:04

Then there's also Hitoshi Doi, whose anime page is quite popular among fans

Hitoshi Doi's homepage

Seems that "Doi" isn't that seldom...

**Glenn** · Sep 17, 2004, 10:34

Originally Posted by Ewok85

真名井 - as promised, Manai

That isn't a given name?

**rakuten** · Sep 17, 2004, 11:08

This family name is absolutely rare: ういえ　(uie)

Sorry, I forgot the kanji for 'uie'. That's the name of a friend, but I can't ask her right now...
Actually most Japanese don't know how to write her name.

**Maciamo** · Sep 17, 2004, 11:18

Alright, it seems that Doi is not so rare after all. Let's concentrate on finding others.

**Apollo** · Sep 17, 2004, 22:59

A good friend of ours has a rare Japanese surname: Komatsuzaki.
I don't know the kanji, but I can ask.

Has anyone heard of this name before? I only know his family with this name.

**Maciamo** · Sep 17, 2004, 23:42

Originally Posted by Miss_apollo7

A good friend of ours has a rare Japanese surname: Komatsuzaki.
I don't know the kanji, but I can ask.

Has anyone heard of this name before? I only know his family with this name.

I am not sure I have heard it, but the kanji used are quite common : 小松崎

Japanese family names usually use geographical locations (山, 岡, 原, 田, 野, 沼, 沢, 津, 崎, 浜, 川, 島, 橋, 井, 平...) and/or descriptive adjectives (大, 小, 上, 下, 中, 本, 北, 西, 南, 東, 富, 芝, 永, 長, 高, 平, 美, 福, 白, 黒, 赤, 青...), or plant names (藤, 松, 杉, 桜, 梅, 梨...). Combinations of these kanji make about 90% the most common family and place names in Japan.

However, some names use quite rare kanji in names like 阿蘇 (Aso), 額賀 (Nukaga) or 西別府 (Nishi-Beppu).

I have also found 稲峰 (Inamine) and 珍田 (Chinda).

**Ewok85** · Sep 18, 2004, 00:15

Originally Posted by Glenn

That isn't a given name?

Definitly a surname.

**Glenn** · Sep 18, 2004, 06:03

Interesting. It just looked like a given name to me, I guess because it's similar to 真那伽　（まなか）. But hey, what do I know about Japanese names? I think they are the most troublesome part of the language, what with all the different readings and all.

**blade_bltz** · Sep 18, 2004, 07:56

I'm a Suda 諏田. Seems pretty rare....although the other side of my family is 中田, which seems sooo common.

**sky888** · Sep 18, 2004, 15:02

very interesting!

**-Yu-** · Sep 19, 2004, 01:01

Well, I expected everyone to say, wow! that name is so rare or something like that, but you don't think Nishibeppu 西別府　is unusual?

I learned something today, when people were classified into 3 classes in Meiji period, such as nobility(華族), ex-samurai (士族）, commonality (平民), people were given a right to have a family name.
The was they chose their names was mostly to use a part of a famous person's name, for example, Fuji of Fujiwara (藤, 藤原) and a part of an area's name where they are from.
e.g If one was from 佐賀　and liked Fujiwara, the one makes up one's name of them, that is Satou 佐藤, you got it?

I also read some of them didn't know how to make their sur name, so they just asked a clerk to make up instead by themselves, therefore, a lot of unmeaningful names were born, for instance, Akai　赤井 Yamanaka　山中,
If you had lived on a mountain at the time and had asked a clerk to name you, you would've been called Yamanaka.
If you face always had been in red, you would've been called Akai.

Sorry, I have made any mistake, there isn't much time for me to correct it.

**Maciamo** · Sep 19, 2004, 12:46

Originally Posted by -Yu-

I learned something today, when people were classified into 3 classes in Meiji period, such as nobility(華族), ex-samurai (士族）, commonality (平民), people were given a right to have a family name.
The was they chose their names was mostly to use a part of a famous person's name, for example, Fuji of Fujiwara (藤, 藤原) and a part of an area's name where they are from.
e.g If one was from 佐賀　and liked Fujiwara, the one makes up one's name of them, that is Satou 佐藤, you got it?

Very interesting. Is there a way of knowing which names are from the nobility and which one are from samaurai families ? Is there some kind of list ?

I was also wondering about the 佐藤, 伊藤, 武藤, 後藤, etc. I guess that 武藤 were people from the Musashi area in West Tokyo. But why are Satou and Itou so popular nationwide ?

**Maciamo** · Oct 7, 2004, 12:36

Here are some more :

Abo 阿保
Obinata　小日向　
Komoto　河本　or 甲本 (?)
Kuhara 久原
Nagakage 長陰 (?)

**neko_girl22** · Oct 7, 2004, 17:48

I know of a Kusai-san.. from Okinawa heheh Mr Smelly! of course I'm sure it doesn't mean that

Sorry I don't know the kanji though.
Here in Kagoshima my husband is surprised at some unusual names (he's from Kansai). Kisshoan is one unique name that comes to mind. I forget the kanji, but I remember they told me it means "happy house" or something similar.

**Apollo** · Oct 7, 2004, 20:47

Originally Posted by nzueda

I know of a Kusai-san.. from Okinawa heheh Mr Smelly! of course I'm sure it doesn't mean that

Sorry I don't know the kanji though.

HAHA!!

Poor kusai-san!! Especially when shouting for him : "Kusai-san, kite kudasai!!!"

I have never heard of the name, but I am sure that it has a different meaning when WRITING the name in kanji...hehe..but poor guy anyway...

It is like my friend from Japan is called Tetsuya, but it doesn't mean "metal-shop," but has a different meaning in kanji - and it is a common first name in Japan.