Surname Issei (Issei 
, 一世 , イッセイ ) , all over the world, is a common family name. The surname Issei is characteristic of Japan, where it is quite a rare surname, Indonesia, where it is a very rare surname, and Myanmar. In absolute terms, it is commonest in Japan, Indonesia, and China. Much less frequently, Issei is the forename as well as the last name.