Goto Surname History

Origins Available:
Japan

Etymology of Goto

What does the name Goto mean?

The proud surname Goto comes from the East Asian nation of Japan. The name is composed of two elements: "go," meaning "back," and "to," meaning "wisteria."

Early Origins of the Goto family

The surname Goto was first found in the Heian period, when members of the higher classes first began to assume surnames that were based on their occupations, their cities of origin, or a local feature of their places of residence. The name Goto was most likely originally assumed by someone living behind a large or prominent wisteria bush. The aristocratic Goto family was instrumental during this early period, playing a major role in the development of a uniquely Japanese culture.

Early History of the Goto family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Goto research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1838, 1857 and 1868 are included under the topic Early Goto History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Goto Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Goto, Gotoh, Gotow, Gotou, Gotoo and others.

Early Notables of the Goto family

Prominent bearers of this surname in early times were

Shojiro Goto (b. 1838), who was one of the leaders of the 1868 Meiji Restoration and the cofounder of the first Japanese political party

Goto Ranking

In the United States, the name Goto is the 18,682^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Goto family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Kumekichi Goto, who was living in Idaho in 1924; Tokujiro Goto, who was living in Utah in 1924; and Nisaburo Goto, a native of Hiroshima who was recorded in Oregon in 1940..

Contemporary Notables of the name Goto (post 1700) +

Maki Goto (b. 1985), well-known Japanese pop singer

Historic Events for the Goto family +

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Mr. Norio Goto (d. 1979), Japanese passenger, from Japan aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 2

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx