Wa-pedia Home > Japan Forum & Europe Forum
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 28

Thread: Unusual Japanese family names

  1. #1
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 17, 2002
    Location
    ¼‹ž
    Posts
    2,434

    Unusual Japanese family names

    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
    Last edited by Maciamo; Oct 7, 2004 at 11:38.

    Visit Japan for free with Wa-pedia
    See what's new on the forum ?
    Eupedia : Europe Guide & Genetics
    Maciamo & Eupedia on Twitter

    "What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?", Winston Churchill.

  2. #2
    Cute and Furry Ewok85's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 14, 2003
    Location
    Saitama/Tokyo
    Age
    38
    Posts
    103
    My girlfriend is Manai, I cant remember the kanji so I'll repost it later :P

  3. #3
    Cat lover Apollo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 28, 2004
    Location
    Copenhagen, Denmark
    Age
    45
    Posts
    87
    Quote Originally Posted by Maciamo
    Doi 
    I agree that Doi is quite rare - but normal, it is my mother's maiden name.

  4. #4
    Where I'm Supposed to Be kirei_na_me's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 31, 2003
    Location
    Virginia
    Age
    48
    Posts
    218
    My husband has a cousin who's also a Doi.
    Last edited by kirei_na_me; Sep 16, 2004 at 00:38.
    i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)

  5. #5
    Occasional visitor nekosasori's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 21, 2004
    Posts
    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)

  6. #6
    Regular Member -Yu-'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 19, 2004
    Posts
    8
    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.

  7. #7
    Cute and Furry Ewok85's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 14, 2003
    Location
    Saitama/Tokyo
    Age
    38
    Posts
    103
    真名井 - as promised, Manai

  8. #8
    Cat lover Apollo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 28, 2004
    Location
    Copenhagen, Denmark
    Age
    45
    Posts
    87
    Quote 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.


  9. #9
    Hentai Koutaishi Lina Inverse's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 29, 2004
    Location
    Germany
    Posts
    126
    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...

  10. #10
    Cs’†
    Join Date
    Jan 8, 2004
    Posts
    158
    Quote Originally Posted by Ewok85
    真名井 - as promised, Manai
    That isn't a given name?

  11. #11
    Regular Member
    Join Date
    Sep 15, 2004
    Posts
    24
    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.

  12. #12
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 17, 2002
    Location
    ¼‹ž
    Posts
    2,434
    Alright, it seems that Doi is not so rare after all. Let's concentrate on finding others.

  13. #13
    Cat lover Apollo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 28, 2004
    Location
    Copenhagen, Denmark
    Age
    45
    Posts
    87
    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.

  14. #14
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 17, 2002
    Location
    ¼‹ž
    Posts
    2,434
    Quote 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).
    Last edited by Maciamo; Sep 18, 2004 at 14:04.

  15. #15
    Cute and Furry Ewok85's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 14, 2003
    Location
    Saitama/Tokyo
    Age
    38
    Posts
    103
    Quote Originally Posted by Glenn
    That isn't a given name?
    Definitly a surname.

  16. #16
    Cs’†
    Join Date
    Jan 8, 2004
    Posts
    158
    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.

  17. #17
    “VË‚¶‚á‚ñI blade_bltz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 11, 2004
    Location
    Brookline, MA
    Posts
    13
    I'm a Suda 諏田. Seems pretty rare....although the other side of my family is 中田, which seems sooo common.

  18. #18
    Regular Member sky888's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 13, 2004
    Posts
    7
    very interesting!
    The China Travel and Photography Forum
    www.MyChinaTrips.com

  19. #19
    Regular Member -Yu-'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 19, 2004
    Posts
    8
    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.

  20. #20
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 17, 2002
    Location
    ¼‹ž
    Posts
    2,434
    Quote 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 ?

  21. #21
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 17, 2002
    Location
    ¼‹ž
    Posts
    2,434
    Here are some more :

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

  22. #22
    Regular Member neko_girl22's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 14, 2003
    Posts
    36
    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.

  23. #23
    Cat lover Apollo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 28, 2004
    Location
    Copenhagen, Denmark
    Age
    45
    Posts
    87
    Quote 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.

  24. #24
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 17, 2002
    Location
    ¼‹ž
    Posts
    2,434
    I guess that Kusai is written like that : 草井 but it could also be something like that : 九祭

  25. #25
    Danshaku Elizabeth's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 22, 2003
    Location
    ƒAƒƒŠƒJ
    Posts
    298
    Another one that is rather peculiar is the family name Bushida. i•Žm“cj

    Quite auspicious, though, if it was born from a soldier's life •Žm“¹B

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. What Japanese family names do you find cool ?
    By Maciamo in forum Culture & Traditions
    Replies: 148
    Last Post: Jul 15, 2009, 20:57
  2. Japanese names : change and law
    By Maciamo in forum Visas & Legal Issues
    Replies: 24
    Last Post: Jul 25, 2003, 01:09

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •