2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Nakachi
A surname likely of Japanese origin, potentially derived from a place name or descriptive element.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Nakachi. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nakachi 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Nakachi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakachi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.0%) and Two or More Races (14.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nakachi
The surname NAKACHI is of Japanese origin, originating in the late 16th or early 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Japanese words "naka" meaning "inside" or "middle", and "chi" meaning "land" or "territory". This suggests that the name may have initially referred to those residing in a central or inland region.
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the NAKACHI name can be found in feudal land records and tax registries from the Edo period (1603-1868) in various regions of Japan. It is likely that the name first emerged among samurai clans or landed gentry during this era.
One notable early bearer of the NAKACHI name was Nakachi Yoshinao, a minor daimyo (feudal lord) who ruled over a small domain in what is now Fukuoka Prefecture in the late 17th century. Records indicate he was born in 1642 and died in 1711.
Another historical figure with this surname was Nakachi Gengo, a Buddhist monk and scholar who lived from 1628 to 1696. He is known for his works on Zen philosophy and calligraphy, which influenced many later writers and artists.
In the 19th century, Nakachi Toshitsura (1781-1868) was a prominent samurai and military strategist who served under the Tokugawa Shogunate. He played a key role in suppressing several uprisings against the Shogun's rule.
The NAKACHI name can also be found in some historical literature and poetry from the Edo and Meiji periods (1868-1912), though specific individuals are not always identified. It appears to have been a relatively uncommon surname, primarily concentrated in western and central Japan.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the NAKACHI name outside of Japan was Nakachi Kiyoshi (1886-1959), a businessman who emigrated to Hawaii in the early 20th century and founded a successful import-export company dealing in goods between the United States and Japan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nakachi
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakachi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.0%) and Two or More Races (14.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nakachi 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 Nakachi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander57.0% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino19.0% · 23
- Two or more races14.0% · 17
- White5.8% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nakachi
Nakachi 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
#120,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
+10 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 571 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-22 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,408 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,901 | 143 | 0.05 | +10 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 571 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 20,408 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 Nakachi 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 | #120,901 | #141,309 | -16.9% |
| Count | 143 | 121 | -15.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nakachi bearers went from 143 to 121 (-15.4% change). The surname moved down 20,408 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,901 to #141,309.
FAQ
Nakachi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nakachi?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Nakachi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Nakachi?
Nakachi ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Nakachi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Nakachi.
Has Nakachi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nakachi went from 143 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 22 (-15.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #120,901 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Nakachi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakachi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 57.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.0%) and Two or More Races (14.0%). 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 Nakachi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.0% (69 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nakachi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (57.0%), Hispanic (19.0%), Two or More Races (14.0%). 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 Nakachi (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 Nakachi mean?
A surname likely of Japanese origin, potentially derived from a place name or descriptive element. 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 Nakachi (0.04 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 Nakachi?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Nakachi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.