大和民族
Surnames occur with varying frequency in different regions; for example, the names Chinen (), Higa (), and Shimabukuro () are common in Okinawa but not in other parts of Japan; this is mainly due to differences between the language and culture of Yamato people and Okinawans. Many Japanese family names derive from features of the rural landscape; for example, Ishikawa () means "river of the stones", Yamamoto () means "the base of the mountain", and Inoue () means "above the well".