Honda Surname History

Origins Available:
Japan

Etymology of Honda

What does the name Honda mean?

The roots of the proud surname Honda lie in the Far Eastern nation of Japan. The name is composed of two elements: "hon," meaning "base, foundation, origin," and "da," meaning "rice field."

Early Origins of the Honda family

The surname Honda 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 Honda was most likely originally assumed by someone living on a rice field. The aristocratic Honda family was instrumental during this early period, playing a major role in the development of a uniquely Japanese culture.

Early History of the Honda family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Honda research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1548, 1610, 1744, 1821 and 1866 are included under the topic Early Honda History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Honda Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Honda and others.

Early Notables of the Honda family

Prominent bearers of this surname in early times were

Tadakatsu Honda (1548-1610), a companion of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Toshiaki Honda (1744-1821), a mathematician, astronomer, sea captain, and economist

Honda Ranking

In the United States, the name Honda is the 14,592^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Honda family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Asajiro Honda, who emigrated from Wakayama to Canada in 1900; Masaki Honda, a native of Kumamoto who immigrated to Hawaii in 1907; Sam Honda, who died in Utah in 1916.

Contemporary Notables of the name Honda (post 1700) +

Tomoru Honda (2001-2020), Japanese swimmer who won a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Kotaro Honda, physicist who was given the Order of Culture in 1937
Shugo Honda (b. 1908), well-known literary critic
Soichiro Honda (1906-1992), who founded the Honda Motor Company in 1946

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/