2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nakamichi
A surname indicating someone who lived near the center of town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Nakamichi. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nakamichi 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Nakamichi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakamichi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.1%. The next largest groups are White (11.7%) and Two or More Races (9.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nakamichi
The surname Nakamichi has its origins in Japan, tracing back to the mid-16th century. The name is derived from the Japanese words "naka," meaning "middle" or "within," and "michi," meaning "road" or "path." Thus, Nakamichi likely referred to someone residing along a central road or in the heart of a particular locality.
Historical records indicate that the Nakamichi name first appeared in the Kansai region of Japan, particularly in areas like Osaka and Kyoto. During the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573-1600), the name can be found in various documents and registers of the time.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the Nakamichi surname was Nakamichi Tokuzō, a samurai who lived in the late 16th century and served under the renowned warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Another notable figure was Nakamichi Kiyoharu, a Buddhist monk and scholar who authored several influential treatises on Zen Buddhism in the early 17th century.
In the Edo period (1603-1868), the Nakamichi family established themselves as prominent merchants and artisans in the city of Kyoto. Nakamichi Masahiro (1670-1738) was a renowned ceramicist whose works were highly valued by the imperial court and nobility.
The name also has ties to several place names in Japan, such as Nakamichi-cho, a historical district in Kyoto, and Nakamichi-jima, a small island located in the Seto Inland Sea.
During the Meiji era (1868-1912), Nakamichi Kazunari (1827-1898) gained recognition as a pioneering educator and advocate for modern educational reforms in Japan. He established several schools and played a crucial role in the development of Japan's modern educational system.
Another prominent figure was Nakamichi Kōichi (1901-1983), a renowned engineer and inventor who founded the Nakamichi Corporation, a company that produced high-end audio equipment. His innovations in sound technology and amplifier designs earned him international acclaim.
It is worth noting that the Nakamichi surname has also been associated with various artistic and cultural figures throughout Japan's history, including writers, painters, and performers, although specific details about these individuals may be limited in historical records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nakamichi
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakamichi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.1%. The next largest groups are White (11.7%) and Two or More Races (9.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Nakamichi 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 Nakamichi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander72.1% · 80
- White11.7% · 13
- Two or more races9.9% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nakamichi
Nakamichi 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
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,872 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,963 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 11,872 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,963 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 Nakamichi 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 | #152,628 | #148,665 | 2.6% |
| Count | 107 | 111 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nakamichi bearers went from 107 to 111 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,963 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #148,665.
FAQ
Nakamichi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nakamichi?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Nakamichi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Nakamichi?
Nakamichi ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Nakamichi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Nakamichi.
Has Nakamichi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nakamichi went from 107 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Nakamichi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakamichi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 72.1%. The next largest groups are White (11.7%) and Two or More Races (9.9%). 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 Nakamichi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.1% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nakamichi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (72.1%), White (11.7%), Two or More Races (9.9%). 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 Nakamichi (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 Nakamichi mean?
A surname indicating someone who lived near the center of town. 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 Nakamichi (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 Nakamichi?
Want to know how many people are called Nakamichi? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.