Hello, Mr. Kimura. This is an explanation of the origin of the surname Kimura, which is shared by your ancestors and friends.
Multiple theories exist regarding the origin of the name “Kimura,” including:
– Deriving from a place name meaning “village where trees grow thickly”
– Being related to the historically known Ashikaga clan branch Kimura family of Tochigi City, Tochigi Prefecture, through blood ties or local connections
– Possibly originating from the ancient noble clan Kii, who adopted the surname Ki
Place Name Origin Theory
The most widely accepted theory is that it means “village with many trees,” originating from the presence of large, dense trees near the settlement.
This name suggests that many place names derive from old villages (honmura or motomura).
Historical Background Theories
Kimura Clan of the Fuji-surnamed Ashikaga Lineage:
This is a branch of the Ashikaga clan, descended from the Fujiwara no Hidesato lineage of the Northern Fujiwara family, which had its base in Kimura, Tsuga District, Shimotsuke Province (present-day Tochigi City, Tochigi Prefecture). Kimura Jirozaemon, who appears in the early Muromachi period chronicle Taiheiki, is said to belong to this clan.
The Kimura clan descended from the Kii clan:
There is also a theory that the ancient powerful clan, the Kii (木) clan, used the name “Kii” (木氏) at one point. Their place of residence became known as ‘Kimura’ (木村), and from there, they began to use the name “Kimura”.
Ranking of Japanese American surnames (U.S. Census Bureau, 1990 Survey)
Kimura ranks 7th in this ranking.
| Surname | Kanji | Supplement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tanaka |  |
4th in Japan |
| 2 | Yamamoto |   |
8th in Japan |
| 3 | Nakamura |   ・・・ |
7th in Japan |
| 4 | Watanabe |   ・・・ |
6th in Japan |
| 5 | Sato |  |
1st in Japan |
| 6 | Yamada |  |
12th in Japan |
| 7 | Kimura |  (written vertically) |
17th in Japan |
| 8 | Suzuki |   (written vertically) |
2nd in Japan |
| 9 | Kato |  |
10th in Japan |
| 10 | Yoshida |  |
11th in Japan |
| 11 | Takahashi |  |
3rd in Japan |
| 12 | Higa |  |
1st in Okinawa, Japan |
| 13 | Kobayashi |  |
9th in Japan |
| 14 | Nakano |   ・・・ |
46th in Japan |
| 15 | Hayashi |  |
20th in Japan |
| 16 | Hashimoto |  |
24th in Japan |
| 17 | Saito |   ・・・ |
19th in Japan |
| 18 | Sasaki |  |
13th in Japan |
| 19 | Mori |   ・・・ |
22th in Japan |
| 20 | Matsumoto |  (written vertically)  |
15th in Japan |
| : | |||
| 29 | Morita |  盛田 |
61th in Japan |
