Family name origins & meanings
- Japanese : ‘golden (or metal) child’; variously written. Bearers of the name are not numerous, but there are several places of this name. It apparently derives from gold dust or iron ore dust found in streams or sand banks; the character representing kane means ‘gold’ and is also the generic term for metal. The surname is mostly found in the Tōkyō area and Okinawa Island, and one family is descended from the ancient Mononobe clan.