Tanaka in Kanji

Tanaka is the 4th most common Japanese surname in Japan.

The etymology is for rice fields and cultivation.

The surname “Tanaka” originates from geographical features or place names such as “in the middle of rice fields” or “near rice fields.” It spread widely across Japan, particularly in regions where rice cultivation flourished, resulting in a very large number of people bearing this name. While it was often adopted by people of peasant status during the Meiji era, it is also a distinguished surname tracing back to ancient noble clans, reflecting diverse origins.

• It is known that the Tanaka clan, an ancient powerful family within the Soga clan, had its base in Tanaka, Takaichi District, Yamato Province (present-day Tanaka-cho, Kashihara City, Nara Prefecture).
• The childhood name of the tea master Sen no Rikyū was Tanaka Yoshirō; his surname before taking the name “Sen” was “Tanaka.”
• Place names forming the roots of the Tanaka surname exist nationwide, including in Kai Province (Yamanashi Prefecture), Hitachi Province (most of Ibaraki Prefecture), and Mutsu Province (Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, and Aomori Prefectures). Each connects to different lineages (such as the Seiwa Genji, Kanmu Heishi, and Uda Genji).
• Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture have shrines named Tanaka Shrine, and shrines called Tanaka Inari Shrine exist throughout the country. Inari shrines are places dedicated to the god of rice harvests. It’s possible that people bearing the Tanaka surname were also associated with these shrines.

Japanese American Surname Ranking (U.S. Census Bureau, 1990 Survey)