is the most common

Japanese surname Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, representing about 1.5% of Japan's population in March 2023. It is often romanized as Sato, Satou or Satoh. A 2024 study by Hiroshi Yoshida at

Tohoku University is a public research university in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. It is colloquially referred to as or . Established in 1907 as the third of the Imperial Universities, after the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University, it initially focused on sc ...

estimated that if a law requiring spouses to have the same surname is not repealed and the Japanese people do not go extinct due to

population decline Population decline, also known as depopulation, is a reduction in a human population size. Throughout history, Earth's total world population, human population has estimates of historical world population, continued to grow but projections sugg ...

, then every person in Japan will have the surname Satō by 2531 — legalizing separate surnames for married couples would delay this to . Satō may refer to:

Notable people

*, Japanese actress and voice actress *, Japanese actress *, Japanese judoka *, Japanese writer *, Japanese diplomat *, Japanese singer *, Japanese voice actress *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese footballer *

Akihiro Sato (model) Akihiro Macieira Sato (born September 12, 1983) is a Japanese Brazilian model. Early life Akihiro Sato was born on September 12, 1983, to Ichiro Sato and Clea Maceda Andrade in São Paulo, Brazil. His mother is a Brazilian of Portuguese, Af ...

, Brazilian model *, Japanese sport shooter *, Japanese politician *, Japanese politician *, Japanese professional wrestler *, Japanese photographer *, Japanese ski jumper *, Japanese shogi player *, Japanese idol, singer, actress and voice actress *, Japanese volleyball player *, Japanese model and weathercaster *

Ayano Sato (canoeist) is a Japan slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 2015. She represented the host country in the C1 event at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of ...

(born 1996), Japanese slalom canoeist *, Japanese idol and singer *, Japanese speed skater *, Japanese ice hockey player *, Japanese actress and musician *, Japanese musician *, Japanese voice actress *, Japanese singer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese sculptor *, Japanese screenwriter and musician *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese mathematician *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese board game designer, novelist and manga writer * Daisuke Sato (footballer) (born 1994), Filipino footballer *, Japanese mayor *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese equestrian *, Japanese politician and Prime Minister of Japan *, Japanese politician *, Japanese cross-country skier *

Eric Sato Eric Anthony Sato (born May 5, 1966) is an American former volleyball player and two-time Olympian. Sato was a member of the United States national volleyball team that won the gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He also played in ...

(born 1966), American volleyball player *, Japanese actress *, Japanese women's footballer *

Eunice Sato Eunice Noda Sato (June 8, 1921 – February 12, 2021) was an American politician. She served as mayor of Long Beach, California from 1980 to 1982. As such she was the first Asian-American female mayor of a major American city, as well as the fir ...

(1921–2021), American politician *, Japanese manga artist * Garret T. Sato (1964–2020), American actor *, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese voice actor * G. G. Sato (born 1978), Japanese baseball player * Gordon H. Sato (1927–2017), American cell biologist and environmentalist *, Japanese rower *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese novelist *, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese water polo player *, Japanese luger *, Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist *, Japanese actress and voice actress *, Japanese figure skater *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese poet and translator *, Japanese tennis player *, Japanese basketball player and executive *, Japanese actress, singer and gravure idol *, Japanese javelin thrower *, Japanese singer-songwriter *, Japanese singer-songwriter *, Japanese curler and curling coach *, Japanese basketball player *, Japanese rower * Hisaharu Satoh, Japanese bowls player *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese film director *, Japanese swimmer *, Japanese actress *, Japanese table tennis player *, Japanese cyclist *, Japanese volleyball player *, Japanese actor *, Japanese astronomer *, Japanese Confucianist *, Japanese professional wrestler *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese tennis player *, Japanese actor, screenwriter and film director *

Josephine Sato Josephine Ylagan Ramirez-Sato (born April 29, 1954) is a Filipinos, Filipino politician. She served as a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, Philippine House of Representatives representing the Occidental Mindoro's at-large ...

(born 1954), Filipino politician *, Japanese anime director *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese painter *, Japanese film director * Kai Sato (born 1984), American chief operating officer *, Japanese actor *, Japanese karateka *, Japanese cyclist *, Japanese activist, editor and critic *, Japanese biathlete *, Japanese model and television personality *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese speed skater *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese cross-country skier *, Japanese weightlifter *, Japanese shogi player *, Japanese actor *, Japanese mecha and character designer *, Japanese curler *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese basketball player and coach *, Japanese equestrian *, Japanese journalist *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese composer and conductor *, Japanese footballer *

Kimi Sato Kimi Sato (born 5 March 1949) is a Japanese composer. Biography She was born in Sendai where she studied with Yoshiro Irino and graduated from the Toko Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo. She continued her studies at the Paris Conservatory with Ol ...

(born 1949), Japanese composer *, Japanese swimmer *, Japanese racing driver *, Japanese basketball coach *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese professional wrestler *, Japanese actor *, Japanese biathlete *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese philatelist *, Japanese ski jumper * Kōji Satō (photographer) (1911–1955), Japanese photographer *, Japanese politician *, Japanese swimmer *, Japanese general *, Japanese footballer *, Imperial Japanese Navy admiral *, Japanese figure skater and coach *, Japanese Paralympic athlete * Liane Sato (born 1964), American volleyball player *, Japanese UN Special Rapporteur and academic *, Japanese sailor *, Japanese actor *, Japanese film director *, Japanese theatre director * Mamoru Sato (born 1937), American modernist sculptor *, Japanese racing driver *, Japanese voice actor and narrator *, Japanese jazz pianist, composer and arranger *, Japanese ice hockey player *, Japanese politician *, Japanese singer and former idol *, Japanese field hockey player *, Japanese ice hockey player *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese film score composer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese actress and television personality *, Japanese high jumper *, Japanese shamisen player *, Japanese ice hockey player *, Japanese composer, singer and musician *, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese middle-distance runner *, Japanese actress *, Japanese musician *, Japanese television personality, actress and model *, Japanese mathematician *, Japanese archer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese volleyball player *

Misty Sato Mistilina Sato is Professor of Education in the School of Teacher Education at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. She researches educational policy, teacher recruitment and training, leadership and performance assessment. She was part ...

, Professor of Education in New Zealand *, Japanese basketball player and women's basketball coach *, Japanese sprinter *, Japanese sport wrestler *, Japanese figure skater *, Japanese volleyball player *, Japanese curler *, Japanese rower *, Japanese composer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese tennis player *, Japanese diplomat and politician *, Japanese astronomer *, Japanese idol, singer and actress *, Japanese politician *, Japanese scientist *, Japanese golfer *, Japanese basketball coach *, Japanese figure skater and coach *

Nobusuke Kishi was a Japanese bureaucrat and politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan, prime minister of Japan from 1957 to 1960. He is remembered for his exploitative economic management of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in China in the 1930s, ...

(1896–1987), born , former Prime Minister of Japan *, Japanese mayor *, Japanese marathon runner *

Norie Sato Norie Sato (born July 19, 1949) is an artist living in Seattle, Washington. She works in the field of public art using sculpture and various media–including glass, terrazzo, plastic film, stone, and metal–and often incorporating lighting effect ...

(born 1949), American artist *, Japanese figure skater and coach *, Japanese fencer *, Japanese fencer * O. K. Sato (1871–1921), American vaudeville performer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese artist, photographer and composer *, Japanese boxer * Pater Sato (1945–1994), Japanese artist *, Japanese badminton player *, Japanese motorcycle racer *, Japanese footballer * Reiko Sato (1931–1981), American dancer and actress * Reinaldo Sato (born 1980), Brazilian baseball player *, Japanese politician *, Japanese racing driver *, Japanese ice hockey player *, Japanese softball player *, Japanese speed skater *, Japanese table tennis player *, better known as Dewaminato, Japanese sumo wrestler *, Japanese bobsledder *, Japanese voice actress and singer * Risa Sato (born 1994), Filipino-Japanese volleyball player *, Japanese mixed martial artist * Ruth Sato (1904–1992), American dancer, gossip columnist, musician promoter and nightclub manager *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese high jumper *, Japanese football referee *, Japanese actor and entertainer *, Japanese economist *

Sabrina Sato Sabrina Sato Rahal (; born 4 February 1981) is a Brazilian television presenter. She was a contestant on '' Big Brother Brasil 3'' (2003) and a hostess on comedy program '' Pânico na TV'' from 2004 until 2013. From 2014 to 2019, she has her ow ...

(born 1981), Brazilian model *, Japanese sailor *, Japanese actor, film director and screenwriter *, Japanese surgeon *, Japanese poet *, Japanese voice actress and singer *, Japanese cross-country skier *, Japanese badminton player *, Japanese actor and voice actor *, Japanese politician *, better known as Dick Togo, Japanese professional wrestler *, Japanese screenwriter and film director *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese shogi player * Shinobu Sato (born 1955), Japanese classical guitarist *, Japanese film director, screenwriter and video game designer *, Japanese bobsledder *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese shogi player *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese model *, Japanese cross-country skier *, Japanese politician *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese writer *, Japanese golfer *, Japanese badminton player *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese idol, actor and singer * Shōzō Satō (佐藤昌三; 1933–2025), Japanese playwright and theatre director *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese shogi player *, Japanese figure skater *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese physician *, Japanese classical violinist and violist *, Japanese composer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese idol, singer and actress *, Japanese Go player *, Japanese sprint canoeist *, Japanese samurai *, better known as

Tadanobu Asano better known by his stage name is a Japanese actor, director, and musician, who has had an extensive career working in both Japanese and international cinema. He has been nominated for five Japan Academy Film Prizes, twice for Best Actor and ...

, Japanese actor *, Japanese film critic, theorist and historian *, Imperial Japanese Army officer and politician *

Tadashi Sato Tadashi Sato (February 6, 1923 – June 4, 2005) was an American artist. He was born in Kaupakalua on the Hawaiian island of Maui. His father had been a pineapple laborer, merchant, and calligrapher, and Tadashi's grandfather was a sumi-e a ...

(1923–2005), American artist *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese dancer and actor *, Japanese politician *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese water polo player *, better known as Takakeisho, Japanese sumo wrestler *, Japanese video game character designer, writer and CGI director *, Japanese mixed martial artist *, Japanese actor *

Takeshi Sato Takeshi Sato (born June 8, 1981) is a Japanese professional wrestler, signed to Pro Wrestling Secret Base. Biography He debuted in 2005 in Dragon Gate. He wrestled in exhibition matches with Yamato Onodera/YAMATO until the summer of 2006. He ...

(born 1981), Japanese professional wrestler *, Japanese graphic designer *, Japanese racing driver *, Japanese basketball player *, Japanese engineer *, Japanese anime screenwriter and director *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese actress, voice actress, television personality and model *, Japanese sport wrestler *, Japanese politician *, Japanese anime director *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese author *, Japanese video game composer and voice actor *, Japanese rower *, Japanese volleyball player *, Japanese admiral and military theorist * Thomas N. Sato, Japanese educator and biologist *, Japanese photographer *, Japanese cross-country skier *, common-law wife of the Chinese Communist scholar and poet Guo Moruo *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese long-distance runner *, Japanese gymnast *, Japanese film director and screenwriter *, Japanese lutenist and composer *, Japanese warrior *, Japanese speed skater *, Japanese light novelist *, Japanese politician * Tsutomu Sato (ophthalmologist) (1902–1960), Japanese ophthalmologist *, Japanese windsurfer *, Japanese footballer *

Vicki Sato Vicki L. Sato is a retired professor of management practice at Harvard Business School and a professor of the practice in the department of molecular and cell biology at Harvard University. Since 2021, she has been a member of the President’s C ...

, American biotechnologist and academic *, Japanese actress and model *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese shogi player *, Japanese volleyball player *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese handball player *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese kickboxer *, Japanese swimmer *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese baseball player and coach *, Japanese ski mountaineer *, Japanese boxer *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese politician *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese film director *, Japanese figure skater *, Japanese javelin thrower *, Japanese triathlete *, Japanese economist and politician *, Japanese long-distance runner *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese softball player *, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese professional wrestler *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese ski jumper *, Japanese racewalker *, Japanese politician *, Japanese voice actress *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese writer *

Yukiko Okada was a Japanese singer and actress, active in the mid-1980s. After winning a nationwide television show at age 15 in 1983, she debuted as an Japanese idol, idol in 1984. Her death by suicide two years later led to a number of copycat suicides, a ...

(1967–1986), born , Japanese idol singer

Fictional characters

*, a character in the manga series ''

High School Girls is a Japanese manga series, created by Towa Oshima, which was originally serialized in Futabasha's ''Weekly Manga Action'' magazine from 2001, and then subsequently '' Comic High!'' from 2004. It was adapted in 2006 into an anime television ...

'' * Asami Sato, a character in the television series ''

The Legend of Korra ''The Legend of Korra'' (abbreviated as ''TLOK'' and also known as ''Avatar: The Legend of Korra'' or more rarely simply as ''Korra'') is an American animated Fantasy television, fantasy action drama television series created by Michael Dante ...

'' *Bruce Sato, from the toy franchise and cartoon '' M.A.S.K.'' *Gloria Sato, a character in the animated television series ''

Big City Greens ''Big City Greens'' is an American animated sitcom created by the Houghton Brothers that premiered on Disney Channel on June 18, 2018. The series follows the Green family—siblings Cricket and Tilly, their father Bill, and their Gramma Alice—a ...

'' *, a character in the manga series ''

Castle Town Dandelion , is a Japanese four-panel comic strip manga series written and illustrated by Ayumu Kasuga. It made its first appearance in Houbunsha's '' Manga Time Kirara Miracle!'' magazine with the June 2012 issue. A 12-episode anime television series a ...

'' *Hiroshi Sato, a character from ''

'' *

Hoshi Sato Hoshi Sato , played by Korean American actress Linda Park, is a fictional character in the science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise''. In the show Sato, born in Kyoto, Japan on July 9, 2129, is the ...

, a character in the television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' *, protagonist of the light novel '' Aura: Koga Maryuin's Last War'' *Inoue Sato, a character in the novel ''

The Lost Symbol ''The Lost Symbol'' is a 2009 novel written by American writer Dan Brown. It is a thriller set in Washington, D.C., after the events of ''The Da Vinci Code'', and relies on Freemasonry for both its recurring theme and its major characters. Relea ...

'' *Ishi Sato, a character from the video game ''

Bulletstorm ''Bulletstorm'' is a 2011 first-person shooter game developed by People Can Fly and Epic Games and published by Electronic Arts (EA). The video game is distinguished by its system of rewarding players with "skillpoints" for performing increasin ...

'' *, a character in the manga series ''

Working!! ''Working!!'', released in the US as ''Wagnaria!!'', is a Japanese four-panel comic strip manga series written and illustrated by Karino Takatsu, which follows the activities of the unusual employees at one of the units of the Wagnaria fam ...

'' *Jun Sato, a character in the television series ''

Star Wars Rebels ''Star Wars Rebels'' is an American 3D animated science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It takes place 14 years after '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' (2005 ...

'' *, protagonist of the light novel series ''KonoSuba'' *, a character in the light novel series ''Shakugan no Shana'' *, a character in the anime series ''Yu-Gi-Oh! GX'' *, a character in the visual novel ''

Katawa Shoujo is a ''Bishōjo game, bishōjo''-style visual novel by Four Leaf Studios that tells the story of a young man and five young women living with varying disabilities. The game uses a traditional text and sprite-based visual novel model with an AD ...

'' *, a character in the manga series '' Given'' *, a character in the manga series ''

Crayon Shin-chan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshito Usui. ''Crayon Shin-chan'' made its first appearance in 1990 in a Japanese weekly magazine called ''Weekly Manga Action'', which was published by Futabasha. Due to the death of ...

'' *, a character in the visual novel ''To Heart'' *, a character in the manga series '' Doubt!!'' *, a character in the manga series ''Case Closed'' *Natsumi Sato, a character in the manga series ''Jiraishin'' a.k.a. ''

Ice Blade is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tsutomu Takahashi. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Monthly Afternoon'' from 1992 to 1999, with its chapters collected in nineteen ''tankōbon'' volumes. The s ...

'' *, a character in the manga series ''My Hero Academia'' *, a character in the light novel '' Aura: Koga Maryuin's Last War'' *, protagonist of the manga series ''

Kyō no Go no Ni is a Japanese ''seinen'' manga series created by Koharu Sakuraba, the author of '' Minami-ke''. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''Bessatsu Young Magazine'' from 2002 to 2003, and the twenty-two chapters were later collected toge ...

'' *, a character in the manga series '' Interviews with Monster Girls'' *Sebastian Sato, a character in the video game ''

Hitman Contract killing (also known as murder-for-hire) is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of compensation, moneta ...

'' *, a character in the manga series ''Maria-sama ga Miteru'' *, a character in the manga series '' Whistle!'' *, a character in the video game series ''

The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls is a Japanese free-to-play simulation video game co-developed by Cygames and Bandai Namco Studios for the Mobage social network platform for mobile phones. It was first released on November 28, 2011, for feature phones, and compatibil ...

'' *, a character in the manga series ''Shokugeki no Soma'' *, a character in the light novel series '' Golden Time'' *, a character in the manga series ''Welcome to the N.H.K.'' *Toru Sato (a.k.a. Bull), a character in the video game '' Need for Speed: Most Wanted'' *

Toshiko Sato is a fictional character from the television series ''Doctor Who'' and its spin-off '' Torchwood'', played by Naoko Mori. After a one-off appearance in the ''Doctor Who'' episode " Aliens of London" (2005), Toshiko is re-introduced as a serie ...

, a character in the television series ''Torchwood'' and ''Doctor Who'' *Toshiya Sato, a character in the manga series ''

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

'' *, protagonist of the light novel series ''

Ben-To is a Japanese light novel series written by Asaura, with illustrations by Kaito Shibano. Shueisha published 15 novels from February 2008 to February 2014. Shibano also illustrates three manga adaptations, and a fourth manga is drawn by San ...

'' *Sato, a character in the manga series '' Ajin: Demi-Human'' *Sato, a character in the film '' Black Rain'' *Satō, a character in the anime series ''

Genji Tsūshin Agedama is a Japanese anime series created by Sukehiro Tomita and Akira Sakuma, produced by NAS and TV Tokyo, and animated by Studio Gallop. The series was broadcast on TV Tokyo every Friday evening from October 4, 1991 to September 25, 1992. It cent ...

'' *Sato, a character in the anime series ''

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny is an anime television series, a direct sequel to ''Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'' by Sunrise and the overall tenth installment in the ''Gundam'' franchise. It retains most of the staff from ''Gundam SEED'', including Director Mitsuo Fukuda. S ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sato Japanese-language surnames