2000
#15,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,696
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Rare Last name
Nakamoto
A Japanese surname indicating a person from a village in the middle of a field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,908 Americans carry the last name Nakamoto. That puts it at #16,706 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 179,641 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nakamoto 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
1.9K
1 in 179,641
Census rank
#16,706
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,664 bearers of the surname Nakamoto in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16706th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakamoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.9%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nakamoto
The surname Nakamoto originates from Japan and has roots dating back several centuries. It is believed to have evolved from a combination of two Japanese words: "naka" meaning "middle" or "center," and "moto" meaning "foundation" or "root." Thus, the name Nakamoto can be interpreted as "the foundation at the center" or "the root in the middle."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Nakamoto surname can be traced back to the 16th century, when it appeared in historical documents from the Sengoku period (1467-1615). During this era of constant military conflicts among feudal lords, the Nakamoto family is mentioned as belonging to the samurai class, serving under various daimyo (powerful feudal lords).
In the Edo period (1603-1868), the Nakamoto name gained prominence in the Chūgoku region of western Japan, particularly in the present-day Hiroshima Prefecture. Records from this time indicate that the Nakamoto family held influential positions within local administration and participated in various cultural and literary pursuits.
One notable figure from this era was Nakamoto Tōri (1608-1678), a renowned Confucian scholar and educator who established a private academy in Hiroshima. His teachings and writings on Confucian philosophy had a lasting impact on the intellectual climate of the region.
In the late 19th century, during the Meiji Restoration, a Nakamoto family from the Awa Province (present-day Tokushima Prefecture) gained recognition for their contributions to the modernization of Japan. Nakamoto Sakuan (1836-1887) was a prominent domain leader who played a crucial role in the abolition of the feudal system and the establishment of a centralized government.
Another noteworthy individual with the Nakamoto surname was Nakamoto Takeko (1847-1868), a female warrior who fought bravely in the Boshin War (1868-1869) against the forces of the newly established Meiji government. Despite being outnumbered, she led a group of samurai in defense of the Aizu domain, earning her a place in Japanese history as a symbol of courage and loyalty.
In more recent times, the Nakamoto name has been associated with various fields, including literature, business, and academia. Nakamoto Seigō (1886-1944) was a renowned novelist and playwright who explored themes of social criticism and human nature in his works.
While the surname Nakamoto has its origins in Japan, it has also been adopted by individuals of Japanese descent living in other parts of the world, reflecting the global diaspora of Japanese communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nakamoto
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakamoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.9%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nakamoto 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 Nakamoto surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander74.8% · 1,244
- Two or more races12.9% · 214
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 113
- White5.3% · 89
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nakamoto
Nakamoto 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
#16,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,770
+74 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 515 places
2020
#16,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,664
-106 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Down 411 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,780 | 1,696 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,295 | 1,770 | 0.60 | +74 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 515 places |
| 2020 | #16,706 | 1,664 | 0.56 | -106 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 411 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 Nakamoto 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 | #16,295 | #16,706 | -2.5% |
| Count | 1,770 | 1,664 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.60 | 0.56 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nakamoto bearers went from 1,770 to 1,664 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 411 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,295 to #16,706.
FAQ
Nakamoto surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nakamoto?
Name Census estimates that about 1,908 living Americans carry the surname Nakamoto. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 179,641 residents.
How common is Nakamoto?
Nakamoto ranks #16,706 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.56 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 1,664 people with the surname Nakamoto. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,908), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.56 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 Nakamoto.
Has Nakamoto become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nakamoto went from 1,770 recorded bearers to 1,664. That is a decrease of 106 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,295 to #16,706.
What does the Census say about the background of Nakamoto?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakamoto, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.9%) and Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Nakamoto in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (1,244 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nakamoto appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (74.8%), Two or More Races (12.9%), Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Nakamoto (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 Nakamoto mean?
A Japanese surname indicating a person from a village in the middle of a field. 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 Nakamoto (0.56 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 Americans have the surname Nakamoto?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.