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Kawai Family History

Kawai Name Meaning

Japanese: variously written the original meaning is 河合 or 川合 ‘meeting of (two) rivers’. An ancient family by this name is listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku. The most usual renderings are found mostly in eastern Japan; families in different localities seem to have their own different ways of writing the name. In Okinawa it is written 河井 ‘river well’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Kasai, Kai, Sakai, Arai, Sawa, Iwai, Kawano, Kanai, Kawata, Takai

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Kawai family from?

You can see how Kawai families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Kawai family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1891 and 1920. The most Kawai families were found in USA in 1920. In 1920 there were 35 Kawai families living in Hawaii. This was about 46% of all the recorded Kawai's in USA. Hawaii had the highest population of Kawai families in 1920.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Kawai 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 Kawai ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Nurserywoman were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Kawai. 20% of Kawai men worked as a Laborer and 15% of Kawai women worked as a Nurserywoman. Some less common occupations for Americans named Kawai were Farmer and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Kawai | 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 1940

  • Laborer
    20%
  • Salesman
    16%
  • Bookkeeper
    16%
  • Farmer
    16%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Nurserywoman
    15%
  • Laborer
    15%
  • Proprietor
    15%
  • Teacher
    15%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Kawai family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Kawai. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Kawai census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Kawai

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Kawai. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Kawai immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 419 military records available for the last name Kawai. For the veterans among your Kawai ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Kawai military records

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What is the average Kawai lifespan?

Between 1951 and 2004, in the United States, Kawai life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 1996. The average life expectancy for Kawai in 1951 was 53, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Kawai

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