Japanese last names ending in -ue / -kami
24 surnames built on 上, above, upper, with their meanings.
24 surnames built on 上, above, upper, with their meanings.
The kanji 上 means above, upper. At the end of a surname it is read ue or kami, depending on the sound before it. Like most Japanese surnames, names ending in it describe where a family lived. Inoue (井上) is 井 well + 上 above; Murakami (村上) is 村 village + 上 above; Kawakami (川上) is 川 river + 上 above.
The list is ordered by how many notable people on Wikidata share each surname, so the most familiar names come first. Surnames from Japan's 100 most common are linked to their own pages.
| Kanji | Name | Meaning | Notable people |
|---|---|---|---|
| 井上 | Inoue | well + above | Top 100 surname |
| 村上 | Murakami | village + above | Top 100 surname |
| 川上 | Kawakami | river + above | 148 |
| 三上 | Mikami | three + above | 98 |
| 水上 | Mizukami | water + above | 40 |
| 河上 | Kawakami | river + above | 25 |
| 中上 | Nakagami | middle + above | 18 |
| 水上 | Minakami | water + above | 16 |
| 最上 | Mogami | utmost; most + above | 16 |
| 尾上 | Onoue | tail + above | 15 |
| 石上 | Ishigami | stone + above | 15 |
| 坂上 | Sakagami | slope + above | 12 |
| 田上 | Tagami | rice field + above | 10 |
| 江上 | Egami | inlet + above | 9 |
| 浦上 | Urakami | bay + above | 7 |
| 井之上 | Inoue | well + of (classical) + above | 7 |
| 戸上 | Togami | door + above | 6 |
| 阪上 | Sakagami | slope + above | 6 |
| 岩上 | Iwaue | rock + above | 4 |
| 浦上 | Uragami | bay + above | 4 |
| 大上 | Ōkami | big + above | 3 |
| 道上 | Michiue | way + above | 3 |
| 佐上 | Sagami | to help + above | 3 |
| 稲上 | Inagami | rice plant + above | 3 |
Surnames and counts: Wikidata (CC0) and the Meiji Yasuda 2008 surname survey.