SurnameNo. 10 in Japan
Katō
Katō (加藤) is the 10th most common surname in Japan, shared by an estimated 0.92 million people. Its kanji mean to add + wisteria.
か · と · う · かとう
What Katō means
加
to add
藤
wisteria
Where the name comes from
The ending 藤 (wisteria), read tō, links Katō to the Fujiwara clan, the court family that dominated Japan for centuries. Surnames such as Satō, Itō, Katō and Saitō are traditionally explained as branches of the Fujiwara, with the first kanji marking a place or office.