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

Nagaoka, 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 Nagaoka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nagaoka in America

Nagaoka is the 85659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nagaoka surname appeared 218 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 Nagaoka.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nagaoka 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 Nagaoka

The surname Nagaoka has its origins in Japan, dating back several centuries. It is a locational surname, derived from the place name "Nagaoka," which translates to "long hill" or "long ridge" in Japanese. The name likely originated in one of the regions where a village or town was situated near a prominent long hill or ridge.

During the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan, the use of surnames became more widespread and formalized. Historical records from this period, such as family registries and local chronicles, may contain references to individuals bearing the surname Nagaoka.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nagaoka can be found in the writings of Hisashi Nagaoka, a prominent Japanese physicist who lived from 1865 to 1950. He is best known for his contributions to the study of atomic structure and for proposing the "Saturnian model" of the atom, which predated Niels Bohr's atomic model.

Another notable individual with the surname Nagaoka was Kenritsu Nagaoka, a Japanese artist and printmaker who lived from 1888 to 1963. He was renowned for his woodblock prints, which often depicted scenes from traditional Japanese life and landscapes.

In the realm of literature, Kazuo Nagaoka (1912-1997) was a celebrated Japanese poet and essayist. His works explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition, earning him numerous literary awards and accolades.

The name Nagaoka has also been associated with places in Japan. For instance, Nagaoka City is a municipality located in Niigata Prefecture, situated near the base of a long ridge. It is possible that the surname originated from this or a similar location.

Kōichi Nagaoka (1932-2017) was a prominent Japanese businessman and entrepreneur who served as the president of the Nagaoka Corporation, a major construction and engineering firm.

Throughout its history, the surname Nagaoka has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including scientists, artists, writers, and business leaders, reflecting the diverse contributions of those bearing this name to Japanese society and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nagaoka

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

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 Nagaoka 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 Nagaoka 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 Nagaoka was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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