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

Nahinu, 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 Nahinu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nahinu in America

Nahinu is the 109258th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nahinu surname appeared 162 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 Nahinu.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nahinu 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 Nahinu

The surname NAHINU originates from the Sinhalese region of Sri Lanka, dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Sinhala words "naha" meaning "direction" and "hinu" meaning "breath" or "wind," suggesting a connection to navigational skills or seamanship.

During the Portuguese colonial era in Sri Lanka (1505-1658), several records mention individuals with variations of the NAHINU name, such as NAHINDU or NAHINDO. One notable example is found in a 1542 manuscript documenting the voyage of a Portuguese explorer, where a local guide named Mihidu NAHINDO is mentioned.

The earliest known recorded instance of the NAHINU surname dates back to 1612, when a merchant named Saman NAHINU is listed in a Portuguese trade register from the port city of Galle. This suggests that the name was associated with maritime trade and coastal communities during that period.

In the 18th century, the NAHINU name appears in Dutch colonial records from Sri Lanka, particularly in the Matara and Hambantota regions. A prominent figure was Peiris NAHINU (1724-1798), a respected chieftain and landowner known for his leadership during the Dutch-Kandyan wars.

During the British colonial era (1796-1948), the NAHINU surname spread to other parts of the island, with notable individuals including Mudaliyar Don Bastian NAHINU (1832-1904), a respected civil servant and philanthropist in the Galle District, and Reverend David NAHINU (1860-1932), a pioneering Christian missionary and educator from Matara.

Other historical figures with the NAHINU surname include Punchi Banda NAHINU (1874-1956), a renowned traditional Sinhala poet and playwright from Hambantota, and Sir Oliver NAHINU (1892-1972), a distinguished lawyer and judge who served as the Attorney General of Sri Lanka from 1946 to 1948.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nahinu

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

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

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

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