The Yamada surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,467 people carried this name — #7,461 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 66,200 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (4,466).
Where the name comes from
The origin of the Yamada surname
Borrowed from Japanese 山(やま)田(だ) (Yamada).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Yamada» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 111 people named Yamada live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
24 people named Yamada live in Switzerland.
They live in 3 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
34 people named Yamada is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
In print
Yamada in American newspapers,
1909–1916.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 5,495 pages in all carry the name.
In print
Yamada in Australian newspapers,
1870s–1990s.
213 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Yamada. The most, 70, date from the 1930s.
Articles, by state
Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Yamada.
Who carried it
People named Yamada,
with a public archive behind them.
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Yamada Sōhen 1627–1708 · tea master -
Yamada Haruzo 1846–1921 · politician -
Kiichi Yamada 1847–1923 -
Matashichi Yamada 1855–1917 · businessperson -
Yamada Hikohachi 1855–1942 · military personnel
Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 258 lives in all are documented under this name.
In the public record
People named Yamada,
in the records of 3 countries.
Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.
United States603 records
- U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 401
- U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 134
- U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 52
- Sacramento County historic burials 10
- New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 6
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Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Robert Y. YamadaBorn 1921 in Hawaiian Islands. Enlisted 1946 at Mountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho; laboratory technician. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1978, buried at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Hawaii.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. burial record, 1864 Burial record Grant Yukio YamadaU.S. Navy veteran. Born 1955, died 1992; buried at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. alien registration card, 1940s Alien registration Katsu YamadaBorn 1883 in Japan. Registered as a foreign national in Kauai County, Hawaii, under the Alien Registration Act of 1940.
U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain)
Showing 3 of 603 records for Yamada in the United States.
Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain); Alien Registration Receipt Card, Form AR-3, photo by Bobjgalindo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).
Canada21 records
- Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 18
- Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
- City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
- War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
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Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Otojiro YamadaDied 1911; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.
City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Yasujiro YamadaDied 1951; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. -
Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917 War record Masaji YamadaDied in service in 1917.
Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
Showing 3 of 21 records for Yamada in Canada.
Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).
France3 records
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Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Kazuko YamadaBorn 1966 in Japan; died 1990 in Lons-le-Saunier (Jura).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Saori YamadaBorn 1971 in Japan; died 1993 in Paris.
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Keiji YamadaBorn 1924 in A Taitchonj (Taïwan); died 1992 in Paris.
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Yamada.
- Yacoub 1,540 · U.S. census
- Yager 7,427 · U.S. census
- Yahia 215 · U.S. census
- Yahya 1,112 · U.S. census
- Yaich 169 · U.S. census
- Yalcin 289 · U.S. census
- Yamamoto 7,547 · U.S. census
- Yamani 124 · U.S. census
- Yan 11,354 · U.S. census
- Yancey 13,566 · U.S. census
- Yancy 4,384 · U.S. census
- Yanez 25,563 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Yamada is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.