2000
#28,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 788
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Rare Last name
Nagi
A surname of Japanese origin meaning "river".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,272 Americans carry the last name Nagi. That puts it at #14,485 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,860 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nagi surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Nagi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 150,860
Census rank
#14,485
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,981 bearers of the surname Nagi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14485th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nagi, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.3%) and Two or More Races (10.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nagi
The surname Nagi is believed to have originated in India, with roots dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "naga," which refers to a serpent or snake deity revered in Hinduism and Buddhism. The name was initially associated with communities residing in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nagi can be found in the "Ain-i-Akbari," a 16th-century Persian chronicle written during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This text mentions a village named "Nagipura," which may have been the place of origin for individuals bearing the surname Nagi.
In the 17th century, there are records of a prominent figure named Nagi Bhai, who was a renowned poet and writer in the Gujarati language. His works, such as "Narasimha Charitra" and "Bhaktamala," have been influential in preserving the cultural heritage of the region.
During the 18th century, the name Nagi gained prominence in the region of Punjab, where it was associated with the Khatri community, a group known for their mercantile and trading activities. One notable figure from this period was Nagi Ram, a successful merchant and philanthropist who contributed significantly to the development of the city of Amritsar.
In the 19th century, the surname Nagi found its way into the British colonial records, particularly in the census documents of the Indian subcontinent. One notable individual from this era was Nagi Reddi, a landowner and community leader from the Andhra Pradesh region, who played a crucial role in negotiating land rights with the British authorities.
The 20th century saw the surname Nagi spread to various parts of the world, as individuals from India immigrated to other countries. Notable personalities with this surname include Nagi Arfeen, a Pakistani artist and calligrapher renowned for his intricate calligraphic works, and Nagi Maehashi, a Japanese architect and urban planner who contributed to the design of several iconic buildings in Tokyo.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nagi
Among Census respondents with the surname Nagi, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.3%) and Two or More Races (10.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Nagi bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Nagi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.3% · 1,412
- Asian and Pacific Islander13.3% · 264
- Two or more races10.6% · 210
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 52
- Black or African American2.0% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nagi
Nagi appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#20,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,338
+550 bearers (+69.8%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Up 8,479 places
2020
#14,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,981
+643 bearers (+48.1%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 5,525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,489 | 788 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,010 | 1,338 | 0.45 | +550 bearers (+69.8%) | Up 8,479 places |
| 2020 | #14,485 | 1,981 | 0.66 | +643 bearers (+48.1%) | Up 5,525 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Nagi surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #20,010 | #14,485 | 27.6% |
| Count | 1,338 | 1,981 | 48.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.45 | 0.66 | 47.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nagi bearers went from 1,338 to 1,981 (+48.1% change). The surname moved up 5,525 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,010 to #14,485.
FAQ
Nagi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nagi?
Name Census estimates that about 2,272 living Americans carry the surname Nagi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,860 residents.
How common is Nagi?
Nagi ranks #14,485 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,981 people with the surname Nagi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,272), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Nagi.
Has Nagi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nagi went from 1,338 recorded bearers to 1,981. That is an increase of 643 (+48.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,010 to #14,485.
What does the Census say about the background of Nagi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nagi, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (13.3%) and Two or More Races (10.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nagi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.3% (1,412 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nagi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (13.3%), Two or More Races (10.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Nagi (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Nagi mean?
A surname of Japanese origin meaning "river". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Nagi (0.66 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Nagi?
See how common the surname Nagi is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.