Satō

is the most common Japanese surname with 2 million people having the surname, representing about 1.5% of Japan's population in March 2023. It is often romanized as Sato, Satou or Satoh.

A 2024 study by Hiroshi Yoshida at Tohoku University estimated that if a law requiring spouses to have the same surname is not repealed and the Japanese people do not go extinct due to population decline, then every person in Japan will have the surname Satō by c. 2531 — legalizing separate surnames for married couples would delay this to c. 3310.

Origin

The origin of the name Satō dates back to Fujiwara clan. It is believed that the surname originated in Sano, Tochigi where , a military commander from the Heian period, and was the governor of Sano Province, whose descendants combined the kanji character for from and the from , which means "Fujiwara of Sano".

Satō Day

is an annual event held in Sano, Tochigi, every March 10. Where the city offers discounts and calls itself the "Holy land of Satō". The city also created the . And in 2025, in partnership with Kainan, Wakayama, the birthplace of the name Suzuki (the second most common surname in Japan), a baseball match was held between people with the surname Suzuki and Satō in Ajec Sano Baseball Stadium.

Notable people

• , Japanese actress and voice actress
• , Japanese actress
• , Japanese judoka
• , Japanese writer
• , Japanese diplomat
• , Japanese singer
• , Japanese voice actress
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese footballer
• Akihiro Sato (model), Brazilian model
• , Japanese sport shooter
• , Japanese politician
• , Japanese politician
• , Japanese professional wrestler
• , Japanese photographer
• , Japanese ski jumper
• , Japanese shogi player
• , Japanese idol, singer, actress and voice actress
• , Japanese volleyball player
• , Japanese model and weathercaster
• , Japanese slalom canoeist
• , Japanese idol and singer
• , Japanese speed skater
• , Japanese ice hockey player
• , Japanese actress and musician
• , Japanese musician
• , Japanese voice actress
• , Japanese singer
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese sculptor
• , Japanese screenwriter and musician
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese mathematician
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese board game designer, novelist and manga writer
• , Filipino footballer
• , Japanese mayor
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese equestrian
• , Japanese politician and Prime Minister of Japan
• , Japanese politician
• Eleanor Sato, American politician
• , Japanese cross-country skier
• Eric Sato (born 1966), American volleyball player
• , Japanese actress
• , Japanese women's footballer
• Eunice Sato (1921–2021), American politician
• , Japanese manga artist
• Garret T. Sato (1964–2020), American actor
• , Japanese voice actor
• , Japanese voice actor
• , Japanese baseball player
• Gordon H. Sato (1927–2017), American cell biologist and environmentalist
• , Japanese rower
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese novelist
• , Japanese voice actor
• , Japanese water polo player
• , Japanese luger
• , Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist
• , Japanese actress and voice actress
• , Japanese figure skater
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese poet and translator
• , Japanese tennis player
• , Japanese basketball player and executive
• , Japanese actress, singer and gravure idol
• , Japanese javelin thrower
• , Japanese singer-songwriter
• , Japanese singer-songwriter
• , Japanese curler and curling coach
• , Japanese basketball player
• , Japanese rower
• Hisaharu Satoh, Japanese bowls player
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese film director
• , Japanese swimmer
• , Japanese actress
• , Japanese table tennis player
• , Japanese cyclist
• , Japanese volleyball player
• , Japanese actor
• , Japanese astronomer
• , Japanese Confucianist
• , Japanese racing driver
• , Japanese professional wrestler
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese tennis player
• , Japanese actor, screenwriter and film director
• Josephine Sato (born 1954), Filipino politician
• , Japanese anime director
• , Japanese painter
• , Japanese film director
• Kai Sato (born 1984), American chief operating officer
• , Japanese actor
• , Japanese karateka
• , Japanese cyclist
• , Japanese activist, editor and critic
• , Japanese biathlete
• , Japanese model and television personality
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese speed skater
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese cross-country skier
• , Japanese weightlifter
• , Japanese shogi player
• , Japanese actor
• , Japanese mecha and character designer
• , Japanese curler
• , Japanese baseball player
• , Japanese basketball player and coach
• , Japanese equestrian
• , Japanese journalist
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese composer and conductor
• , Japanese footballer
• Kimi Sato (born 1949), Japanese composer
• , Japanese swimmer
• , Japanese racing driver
• , Japanese basketball coach
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese professional wrestler
• , Japanese actor
• , Japanese biathlete
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese philatelist
• , Japanese ski jumper
• , Japanese photographer
• , Japanese politician
• , Japanese swimmer
• , Japanese general
• , Japanese footballer
• , Imperial Japanese Navy admiral
• , Japanese figure skater and coach
• , Japanese Paralympic athlete
• Liane Sato (born 1964), American volleyball player
• , Japanese UN Special Rapporteur and academic
• , Japanese sailor
• , Japanese actor
• , Japanese film director
• , Japanese theatre director
• Mamoru Sato (born 1937), American modernist sculptor
• , Japanese racing driver
• , Japanese voice actor and narrator
• , Japanese jazz pianist, composer and arranger
• , Japanese ice hockey player
• , Japanese politician
• , Japanese singer and former idol
• , Japanese field hockey player
• , Japanese ice hockey player
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese film score composer
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese actress and television personality
• , Japanese high jumper
• , Japanese shamisen player
• , Japanese ice hockey player
• , Japanese composer, singer and musician
• , Japanese voice actor
• , Japanese middle-distance runner
• , Japanese actress
• , Japanese musician
• , Japanese television personality, actress and model
• , Japanese mathematician
• , Japanese archer
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese volleyball player
• Misty Sato, Professor of Education in New Zealand
• , Japanese basketball player and women's basketball coach
• , Japanese sprinter
• , Japanese sport wrestler
• , Japanese figure skater
• , Japanese volleyball player
• , Japanese curler
• , Japanese rower
• , Japanese composer
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese tennis player
• , Japanese diplomat and politician
• , Japanese astronomer
• , Japanese idol, singer and actress
• , Japanese politician
• , Japanese scientist
• , Japanese golfer
• , Japanese basketball coach
• , Japanese figure skater and coach
• Nobusuke Kishi (1896–1987), born , former Prime Minister of Japan
• , Japanese mayor
• , Japanese marathon runner
• Norie Sato (born 1949), American artist
• , Japanese figure skater and coach
• , Japanese fencer
• , Japanese fencer
• O. K. Sato (1871–1921), American vaudeville performer
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese artist, photographer and composer
• , Japanese boxer
• Pater Sato (1945–1994), Japanese artist
• , Japanese badminton player
• , Japanese motorcycle racer
• , Japanese footballer
• , American dancer and actress
• , Brazilian baseball player
• , Japanese politician
• , Japanese racing driver
• , Japanese ice hockey player
• , Japanese softball player
• , Japanese speed skater
• , Japanese table tennis player
• , better known as Dewaminato, Japanese sumo wrestler
• , Japanese bobsledder
• , Japanese voice actress and singer
• , Filipino-Japanese volleyball player
• , Japanese mixed martial artist
• Ruth Sato (1904–1992), American dancer, gossip columnist, musician promoter and nightclub manager
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese high jumper
• , Japanese football referee
• , Japanese actor and entertainer
• , Japanese economist
• Sabrina Sato (born 1981), Brazilian model
• , Japanese sailor
• , Japanese actor, film director and screenwriter
• , Japanese surgeon
• , Japanese poet
• , Japanese voice actress and singer
• , Japanese cross-country skier
• , Japanese badminton player
• , Japanese actor and voice actor
• , Japanese politician
• , better known as Dick Togo, Japanese professional wrestler
• , Japanese screenwriter and film director
• , Japanese baseball player
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese shogi player
• Shinobu Sato (born 1955), Japanese classical guitarist
• , Japanese film director, screenwriter and video game designer
• , Japanese bobsledder
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese shogi player
• , Japanese manga artist
• , Japanese model
• , Japanese cross-country skier
• , Japanese politician
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese writer
• , Japanese golfer
• , Japanese badminton player
• , Japanese manga artist
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese baseball player
• , Japanese idol, actor and singer
• Shōzō Satō (佐藤 昌三; 1933–2025), Japanese playwright and theatre director
• , Japanese manga artist
• , Japanese shogi player
• , Japanese figure skater
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese physician
• , Japanese classical violinist and violist
• , Japanese composer
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese idol, singer and actress
• , Japanese Go player
• , Japanese sprint canoeist
• , Japanese samurai
• , better known as Tadanobu Asano, Japanese actor
• , Japanese film critic, theorist and historian
• , Imperial Japanese Army officer and politician
• Tadashi Sato (1923–2005), American artist
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese dancer and actor
• , Japanese politician
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese manga artist
• , Japanese water polo player
• , better known as Takakeisho, Japanese sumo wrestler
• , Japanese video game character designer, writer and CGI director
• , Japanese mixed martial artist
• , Japanese actor
• Takeshi Sato (born 1981), Japanese professional wrestler
• , Japanese graphic designer
• , Japanese racing driver
• , Japanese basketball player
• , Japanese engineer
• , Japanese anime screenwriter and director
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese voice actor
• , Japanese actress, voice actress, television personality and model
• , Japanese sport wrestler
• , Japanese politician
• , Japanese anime director
• , Japanese baseball player
• , Japanese author
• , Japanese video game composer and voice actor
• , Japanese rower
• , Japanese volleyball player
• , Japanese admiral and military theorist
• Thomas N. Sato, Japanese educator and biologist
• , Japanese photographer
• , Japanese cross-country skier
• , common-law wife of the Chinese Communist scholar and poet Guo Moruo
• , Japanese baseball player
• , Japanese baseball player
• , Japanese long-distance runner
• , Japanese gymnast
• , Japanese film director and screenwriter
• , Japanese lutenist and composer
• , Japanese warrior
• , Japanese speed skater
• , Japanese light novelist
• , Japanese politician
• Tsutomu Sato (ophthalmologist) (1902–1960), Japanese ophthalmologist
• , Japanese windsurfer
• , Japanese footballer
• Vicki Sato, American biotechnologist and academic
• , Japanese actress and model
• , Japanese baseball player
• , Japanese shogi player
• , Japanese volleyball player
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese handball player
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese kickboxer
• , Japanese swimmer
• , Japanese baseball player
• , Japanese baseball player and coach
• , Japanese ski mountaineer
• , Japanese boxer
• , Japanese baseball player
• , Japanese politician
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese film director
• , Japanese figure skater
• , Japanese javelin thrower
• , Japanese triathlete
• , Japanese economist and politician
• , Japanese long-distance runner
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese softball player
• , Japanese voice actor
• , Japanese professional wrestler
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese ski jumper
• , Japanese racewalker
• , Japanese politician
• , Japanese voice actress
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese footballer
• , Japanese writer
• Yukiko Okada (1967–1986), born , Japanese idol singer

Fictional characters

• , a character in the manga series High School Girls
• Asami Sato, a character in the television series The Legend of Korra
• Bruce Sato, from the toy franchise and cartoon M.A.S.K.
• Gloria Sato, a character in the animated television series Big City Greens
• , a character in the manga series Castle Town Dandelion
• Hiroshi Sato, a character from The Legend of Korra
• Hoshi Sato, a character in the television series Star Trek: Enterprise
• , protagonist of the light novel Aura: Koga Maryuin's Last War
• Inoue Sato, a character in the novel The Lost Symbol
• Ishi Sato, a character from the video game Bulletstorm
• , a character in the manga series Working!!
• Jun Sato, a character in the television series Star Wars Rebels
• , protagonist of the light novel series KonoSuba
• , a character in the light novel series Shakugan no Shana
• , a character in the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
• , a character in the visual novel Katawa Shoujo
• , a character in the manga series Given
• , a character in the manga series Crayon Shin-chan
• , a character in the visual novel To Heart
• , a character in the manga series Doubt!!
• , a character in the manga series Case Closed
• Natsumi Sato, a character in the manga series Jiraishin a.k.a. Ice Blade
• , a character in the manga series My Hero Academia
• , a character in the light novel Aura: Koga Maryuin's Last War
• , protagonist of the manga series Kyō no Go no Ni
• , a character in the manga series Interviews with Monster Girls
• Sebastian Sato, a character in the video game Hitman
• , a character in the manga series Maria-sama ga Miteru
• , a character in the manga series Whistle!
• , a character in the video game series The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls
• , a character in the manga series Shokugeki no Soma
• , a character in the light novel series Golden Time
• , a character in the manga series Welcome to the N.H.K.
• Toru Sato (a.k.a. Bull), a character in the video game Need for Speed: Most Wanted
• Toshiko Sato, a character in the television series Torchwood and Doctor Who
• Toshiya Sato, a character in the manga series Major
• , protagonist of the light novel series Ben-To
• Sato, a character in the manga series Ajin: Demi-Human
• Sato, a character in the film Black Rain
• Satō, a character in the anime series Genji Tsūshin Agedama
• Sato, a character in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny