Ito

Japanese (Itō): variously written; one of the ten most common Japanese surnames. The most usual rendering means ‘Fujiwara of Ise’ (Ise no Fujiwara); Ise is now part of Mie prefecture. These Itō claim descent from Fujiwara no Hidesato (10th century), of the northern branch of the clan. Another prominent Itō family (whose name means ‘eastern Izu’), one-tenth as numerous, takes its name from a district now part of Shizuoka prefecture. They too are of Fujiwara descent, through Sukechika (d. 1181), a grandson of Kudō Ietsugu of the southern Fujiwara. Both Itō surnames are found in the Ryūkyū Islands.