SurnameNo. 4 in Japan
Tanaka
Tanaka (田中) is the 4th most common surname in Japan, shared by an estimated 1.34 million people. Its kanji mean rice field + middle.
た · な · か · たなか
What Tanaka means
田
rice field
中
middle
Where the name comes from
Like most Japanese surnames, Tanaka describes a place. Its kanji point to a rice field, the kind of landmark a family was known by when surnames became compulsory for everyone in 1875.
Famous people named Tanaka
Koichi Tanaka 田中 耕一Japanese chemist
Kakuei Tanaka 田中 角栄Japanese politician (1918–1993)
Ao Tanaka 田中 碧Japanese association football player
Makoto Tanaka 田中 誠Japanese association football player and manager
Tatsuya Tanaka 田中 達也Japanese association football player (born 1982)
Junya Tanaka 田中 順也Japanese association football player (born 1987)
From Wikidata: notable Japanese people with this family name.