SurnameNo. 1 in Japan
Satō
Satō (佐藤) is the most common surname in Japan, shared by an estimated 1.99 million people. Its kanji mean to help + wisteria.
さ · と · う · さとう
What Satō means
佐
to help
藤
wisteria
Where the name comes from
The ending 藤 (wisteria), read tō, links Satō 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.