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Tanaka Family History

Tanaka Surname Meaning

Japanese: written 田中 ‘center of the rice paddy’. One of the ten most common surnames in Japan, it is particularly frequent around the city of Ōsaka and is also found in the Ryūkyū Islands.

It is listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku but the surname is borne by many unrelated families.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Tanaka family from?

You can see how Tanaka families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Tanaka family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1891 and 1920. The most Tanaka families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there was 1 Tanaka family living in Surrey. This was 100% of all the recorded Tanaka's in United Kingdom. Surrey had the highest population of Tanaka families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Tanaka surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Tanaka ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Laborer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Tanaka. 19% of Tanaka men worked as a Laborer and 9% of Tanaka women worked as a Laborer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Tanaka were Carpenter and Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Tanaka | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    19%
  • Farmer
    10%
  • Proprietor
    7%
  • Carpenter
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    9%
  • Helper
    8%
  • Maid
    8%
  • Housekeeper
    6%

What Tanaka family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 13,000 census records available for the last name Tanaka. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Tanaka census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Tanaka

Passenger Lists

There are 33,000 immigration records available for the last name Tanaka. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Tanaka immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Tanaka. For the veterans among your Tanaka ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Tanaka military records

You've only scratched the surface of Tanaka family history

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What is the average Tanaka lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Tanaka life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1953, and highest in 1971. The average life expectancy for Tanaka in 1941 was 51, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Tanaka

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Tanaka ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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