History of your Surname
Get access to Sato family records.Start a free trial

Sato Family History

Sato Name Meaning

Japanese (Satō): written 佐藤. The Satō descend from the northern Fujiwara through Fujiwara no Hidesato (10th century) who governed Shimotsuke (now Tochigi) prefecture from a place called Sano hence Sano no Fujiwara or Satō. Another tradition takes the sa from the title Saemon no jō an office held by a distinguished descendant of Hidesato's. With Suzuki this is one of the two most common surnames in Japan. It is also spelled Satou and Satow in America.

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


Similar surnames: Saito, Kato, Asato, Sako, Suto, Satow, Kano, Sano, Seto, Sawa

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Sato family from?

You can see how Sato families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sato family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Sato families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 35 Sato families living in British Columbia. This was about 88% of all the recorded Sato's in Canada. British Columbia had the highest population of Sato families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sato surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Sato ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Labourer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Sato. 36% of Sato men worked as a Labourer. .

View Census Data for Sato | 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

  • Labourer
    36%
  • Cook
    23%
  • Fisherman
    19%
  • Farmer
    9%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Sato family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 21,000 census records available for the last name Sato. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sato census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Sato

Passenger Lists

There are 26,000 immigration records available for the last name Sato. 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 Sato immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Sato. For the veterans among your Sato ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Sato military records

You've only scratched the surface of Sato family history

Discover More

What is the average Sato lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Sato life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 1972. The average life expectancy for Sato in 1943 was 28, and 79 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sato

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Sato family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Sato last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial