Find out how popular the last name Nagai is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nagai.

Nagai, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nagai surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nagai in America

Nagai is the 30630th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nagai surname appeared 761 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nagai.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nagai to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Nagai

The surname Nagai is a Japanese name that originated in the late 12th century or early 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the ancient Japanese word "nagai," which means "long" or "tall." This could suggest that the name was originally given to individuals who were taller than average or had a slender, elongated physique.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Nagai surname can be found in the Azuma Kagami, a historical chronicle of the Kamakura period (1185-1333) in Japan. The text mentions a samurai warrior named Nagai Sumitomo, who served under the famous shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the Nagai clan emerged as a prominent samurai family in the Ise Province (present-day Mie Prefecture). They served as vassals to the powerful Kitabatake clan and played a significant role in regional conflicts.

In the late 16th century, a notable figure named Nagai Naoyuki (1557-1619) rose to prominence as a skilled military tactician and strategist. He served under the legendary daimyo (feudal lord) Tokugawa Ieyasu and played a crucial role in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, which established the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Another famous individual with the Nagai surname was Nagai Nakazumi (1801-1860), a Confucian scholar and educator who lived during the late Edo period. He established the Shōhei-kō school in Edo (present-day Tokyo) and was renowned for his teachings on ethics and moral philosophy.

In more recent times, Nagai Kafū (1879-1959) was a celebrated novelist and poet who is considered a pioneer of modern Japanese literature. His works, such as "Bokutō Kidan" (A Strange Tale from East of the River) and "Udekurabe" (The Bachelorette), explored themes of urban life and societal changes in the early 20th century.

It is worth noting that the Nagai surname is not limited to Japan and can also be found in other parts of East Asia, such as China and Korea, where it may have different origins and meanings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nagai

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nagai.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nagai was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nagai has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nagai was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nagai, please contact us.

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