| ![Show Contents]() Sato Surname History
Etymology of SatoWhat does the name Sato mean? The distinguished surname Sato comes from the East Asian nation of Japan. The name is made up of two elements: "sa," meaning "help," and "to," meaning "wisteria." Early Origins of the Sato familyThe surname Sato was first found in the Heian period, when members of the higher classes first began to assume surnames, generally composed of two characters, that were based on their occupations, their cities of origin, or a local feature of their places of residence. The name Sato was most likely originally assumed by someone with a helpful or generous nature living near a wisteria plant. The aristocratic Sato family was instrumental during this early period, playing a major role in the development of a uniquely Japanese culture. Early History of the Sato familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sato research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1650, 1719, 1772, 1859, 1876 and 1949 are included under the topic Early Sato History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Sato Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Sato, Satoh, Satoo, Satou, Satow and others. Early Notables of the Sato familyProminent bearers of this surname in early times were - Naokata Sato (1650-1719), a Neo-Confucian scholar who studied under Yamazaki Ansai
- Issai Sato (1772-1859), a Confucian scholar and essayist
Sato RankingIn the United States, the name Sato is the 5,113rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 Migration of the Sato familySome of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Horekichi Sato, who settled in Hawaii in 1898; Eisaburo Sato, who immigrated to Mexico in 1904; Chuzo Sato, who emigrated from Fukushima to Seattle in 1905.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Sato (post 1700) | + |
- Eisaku Sato (1939-2025), Japanese politician, served as the governor of Fukushima Prefecture of Japan (1988-2006)
- Tomoki Sato (b. 1989), Japanese Paralympic athlete, three-time Paralympian
- Takuma Sato (b. 1977), Formula 1 racecar driver
- Yuka Sato (b. 1973), popular figure skater who has placed in many competitions, most notably the Japanese Nationals and the World Championships
- Hiroaki Sato, well-known and prolific writer in both English and Japanese
| Historic Events for the Sato family | + |
Air New Zealand Flight 901 - Mrs. Hisako Sato (d. 1979), Japanese passenger, from Japan aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; she died in the crash 2
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