Ishikawa Surname History

Origins Available:
Japan

Etymology of Ishikawa

What does the name Ishikawa mean?

The roots of the proud surname Ishikawa lie in the East Asian nation of Japan. The name is composed of two elements: "ishi," meaning "stone," and "kawa," meaning "river."

Early Origins of the Ishikawa family

The surname Ishikawa 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 Ishikawa was most likely originally assumed either by someone living in the city of Ishikawa in Okinawa Prefecture, or by someone living near a river located by a large or distinctive stone. The aristocratic Ishikawa family was instrumental during this early period, playing a major role in the development of a uniquely Japanese culture.

Early History of the Ishikawa family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ishikawa research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1583, 1753 and 1830 are included under the topic Early Ishikawa History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ishikawa Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ishikawa, Ishigawa, Ishykawa and others.

Early Notables of the Ishikawa family

Prominent bearers of this surname in early times were

Jozan Ishikawa (1583-167), a distinguished soldier who took Buddhist orders in Kyoto after retiring from military service and devoted the final years of his life to writing poetry, and Masamochi Ishik...

Migration of the Ishikawa family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Shuske Ishikawa, who emigrated from Hiroshima to Hawaii with his wife Hisa in 1902; Hotaro Ishikawa, a native of Kagawa who was recorded in Utah in 1924.

Contemporary Notables of the name Ishikawa (post 1700) +

Yoshiyuki Ishikawa, American bassoonist and professor of music at the University of Colorado
Chiyomatsu Ishikawa (1861-1935), zoologist who helped to promote the theory of evolution in Japan
Jun Ishikawa (1899-1987), Japanese modernist author