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Kumagai Family History

Kumagai Surname Meaning

Japanese: written 熊谷 ‘bear valley’; also pronounced Kumatani, Kumaya, and Kumagaya. It is found in northeastern and western Japan, a habitational name from the town of Kumagaya in Musashi (now part of Saitama prefecture).

The earliest bearers were of Taira descent. In fact, the town was named after Kumagai Naozane, a 12th century warrior featured in a famous story in the epic Heike monogatari ‘Tales of the Taira’.

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


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Where is the Kumagai family from?

You can see how Kumagai families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Kumagai family name was found in the USA, and Canada between 1911 and 1920. The most Kumagai families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there was 1 Kumagai family living in British Columbia. This was 100% of all the recorded Kumagai's in Canada. British Columbia had the highest population of Kumagai families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kumagai 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 Kumagai ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Fisher was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Kumagai. 38% of Kumagai men worked as a Fisher.

View Census Data for Kumagai | 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.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Fisher
    38%
  • Labourer
    38%
  • Fisherman
    25%

What Kumagai family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 668 census records available for the last name Kumagai. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Kumagai census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Kumagai

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Kumagai. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Kumagai immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 394 military records available for the last name Kumagai. For the veterans among your Kumagai ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Kumagai military records

You've only scratched the surface of Kumagai family history

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What is the average Kumagai lifespan?

Between 1962 and 2004, in the United States, Kumagai life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1985, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Kumagai in 1962 was 75, and 86 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Kumagai

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Kumagai 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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