Hokkaido
Many names in Hokkaidō originated from words in the Ainu language, as people from mainland Japan conquered and colonized Hokkaidō in the Edo period and the Meiji period. Examples of geographic features are -nai and -betsu meaning "river", as in the names Wakkanai and Noboribetsu. The name Esashi comes from the Ainu word esaushi, meaning "cape." Some other names come from places in other parts of Japan because in the past people migrated as a group to Hokkaidō, and they give the new settlement a name reminiscent of their old home. Examples include Hiroshima and Date, Hokkaido.
During the rule of the Shoguns (1185-1867), families of samurai often adopted place names as their surnames. Examples are the Ashikaga clan and the Taira clan.
Read more about this topic: Japanese Place Names