Satō

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Satō
PronunciationJapanese: [saꜜtoː]
English: /ˈsɑːt/ SAH-toh
Language(s)Japanese
Origin
MeaningFujiwara (藤原) of Saemon-no-jō (左衛門尉),[1] Fujiwara of Sano (佐野), Fujiwara from Sado (佐渡), etc.
Region of originJapan

Satō (Japanese: 佐藤, pronounced [saꜜtoː], English: /ˈsɑːt/ SAH-toh) is the most common Japanese surname,[2] often romanized as Sato, Satou or Satoh. A less common variant for a pen name is 佐島.

Due to the popularity of the name, as well as the tradition of wifes changing their sunames to the surname of their husbands, a Japanese demographic scientist Hiroshi Yoshida from Tohoku University warned that if the trend will continue, everybody in Japan might be named Sato by early 26th century due to snowball effect.[citation needed]

Notable people with the surname Satō[edit]

Fictional characters[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Saemon-no-jō (左衛門尉) was () (inspector [third highest of the four administrative ranks of the Ritsuryō period]) in Saemon-fu (左衛門府), and the corresponding court rank was Sixth Rank.
  2. ^ "明治安田生命 全国同姓調査 [Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company - National same family name investigation]" (PDF) (Press release). Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Company. 2008-09-24. Retrieved 2012-05-30.