2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Naihe
A German surname meaning "needle-maker" or possibly "furrier."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Naihe. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Naihe 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.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Naihe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Naihe, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (24.3%) and Hispanic (21.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Naihe
The surname NAIHE has its origins in the Hunan province of China. It first emerged during the Tang Dynasty, which spanned from 618 to 907 AD. The name is believed to have originated from the town of Naihe, which was located in the eastern part of the province.
The earliest recorded instance of the NAIHE surname can be found in a local government document from the year 712 AD. This document lists several families with the NAIHE name residing in the town of Naihe at that time. It is likely that the name was derived from the place name, which itself may have originated from an older word or phrase in a local dialect.
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD), the NAIHE surname began to spread beyond the town of its origin. Records from this period show families with the NAIHE name living in other parts of Hunan, as well as in neighboring provinces such as Jiangxi and Guangdong.
One notable figure with the NAIHE surname was a scholar and poet named NAIHE Zhongshan, who lived from 1120 to 1190 AD. He was known for his contributions to the study of Confucian philosophy and his poetry, which often drew inspiration from nature.
In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), the NAIHE surname continued to be found in various regions of southern China. A military commander named NAIHE Jingzhong (1502-1570) gained recognition for his role in suppressing a rebellion in Guangdong province during this period.
Another prominent individual with the NAIHE surname was a merchant and philanthropist named NAIHE Yuansheng (1628-1701). He was known for his successful business ventures and for his donations to educational institutions and charitable causes.
During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 AD), the NAIHE surname spread further throughout China. A notable figure from this time was NAIHE Weizhi (1776-1842), a scholar and official who served in various government positions.
In more recent centuries, the NAIHE surname has continued to be present in various parts of China, as well as in Chinese communities around the world. However, as this report focuses on historical accounts, specific modern data has not been included.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Naihe
Among Census respondents with the surname Naihe, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (24.3%) and Hispanic (21.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Naihe 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 Naihe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander49.5% · 51
- Two or more races24.3% · 25
- Hispanic or Latino21.4% · 22
- White4.9% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Naihe
Naihe 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,384 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-12 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,041 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 4,384 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 10,041 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 Naihe 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 | #144,141 | #154,182 | -7.0% |
| Count | 115 | 103 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Naihe bearers went from 115 to 103 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 10,041 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #154,182.
FAQ
Naihe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Naihe?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Naihe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Naihe?
Naihe ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Naihe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Naihe.
Has Naihe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Naihe went from 115 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Naihe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Naihe, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 49.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (24.3%) and Hispanic (21.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Naihe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.5% (51 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Naihe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (49.5%), Two or More Races (24.3%), Hispanic (21.4%). 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 Naihe (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 Naihe mean?
A German surname meaning "needle-maker" or possibly "furrier." 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 Naihe (0.03 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 common is the surname Naihe?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Naihe at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.