Updated June 9, 2019

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Family name origins & meanings

  • Japanese : usually written with characters meaning ‘rock well’, also with characters meaning ‘resides in a rocky place’; the latter is the original meaning. Mostly found in Chiba prefecture and the Tōkyō area, it is related to the name Iwai, which has a similar meaning. The name originated variously: in Shimotsuke (now Tochigi prefecture), from the Utsunomiya branch of the northern Fujiwara, who dwelt there; from a branch of the Taira clan in Musashi (now Tōkyō and Saitama prefectures); and others. Bearers of the name Ishii are also found in the northeast, around the Inland Sea, and in the Ryūkyū Islands.