There are two types of kanji for this surname.
Their origins seem to differ depending on the era and location.
Origin of this surname
It is generally thought to derive from words meaning “endlessly spreading rice fields” or “long rice fields,” making it a relatively common surname widely distributed throughout Japan. This refers to the kanji in the lower row, “長田.” Some people pronounce this “Osada,” and there is a theory that the surname using the kanji in the upper row, “永田,” emerged to distinguish the pronunciation.
Particularly for surnames, both kanji forms seem to have been used interchangeably with the same meaning. They may have been formally distinguished when the family registry system was established.
Origin of this place name
- “Nagatacho” in Tokyo, where the Diet building and various ministries are located, derives from the Edo period when residences of the Nagata clan lined the area. This uses the kanji from the upper row, “永田”.
li>“Nagata Shrine” in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, uses the kanji from the lower row, “長田”.
Description of this work
The top row is in hiragana, the middle row shows two types of kanji, and the bottom row is in katakana—all written horizontally.
Japanese American Surname Ranking (U.S. Census Bureau, 1990 Survey)
This work ranks 48th in this ranking.
| Surname | Kanji | Supplement | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tanaka | 田中 | 4th in Japan |
| 2 | Yamamoto | 山本 山元 | 8th in Japan |
| 3 | Nakamura | 中村 仲村 | 7th in Japan |
| 4 | Watanabe | 渡辺 渡部 ・・・ | 5th in Japan |
| 5 | Sato | 佐藤 | 1st in Japan |
| 6 | Yamada | 山田 | 12th in Japan |
| 7 | Kimura | 木村 (written vertically) | 17th in Japan |
| 8 | Suzuki | 鈴木 鈴木 (written vertically) | 2nd in Japan |
| 9 | Kato | 加藤 | 10th in Japan |
| 10 | Yoshida | 吉田 | 11th in Japan |
| 11 | Takahashi | 高橋 | 3rd in Japan |
| 12 | Higa | 比嘉 | 1st in Okinawa, Japan |
| 13 | Kobayashi | 小林 | 9th in Japan |
| 14 | Nakano | 中野 仲野 ・・・ | 46th in Japan |
| 15 | Hayashi | 林 | 20th in Japan |
| 16 | Hashimoto | 橋本 | 24th in Japan |
| 17 | Saito | 斎藤 斉藤 ・・・ | 19th in Japan |
| 18 | Sasaki | 佐々木 | 13th in Japan |
| 19 | Mori | 森 毛利 ・・・ | 22th in Japan |
| 20 | Matsumoto | 松本 (written vertically) 松元 | 15th in Japan |
| : | |||
| 48 | Nagata | 永田・長田 | |
