2000
#4,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,821
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.90
Rare Last name
Nakamura
A Japanese surname meaning "middle village," referring to the ancestral location between two larger settlements.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,502 Americans carry the last name Nakamura. That puts it at #4,635 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,315 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nakamura 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
8.5K
1 in 40,315
Census rank
#4,635
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,414 bearers of the surname Nakamura in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4635th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakamura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.0%) and White (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nakamura
The surname Nakamura is of Japanese origin, dating back to the 8th century. It is derived from the Japanese words "naka" meaning "center" or "middle," and "mura" meaning "village" or "town." The name likely originated in the central regions of Japan, particularly around the area of present-day Aichi Prefecture.
The earliest recorded instances of the Nakamura name can be found in ancient family registries and local records from the Heian period (794-1185 AD). During this time, the name was often written using different kanji characters but with the same phonetic reading.
One notable early reference to the Nakamura name comes from the historical text "Azuma Kagami" (The Mirror of the East), a chronicle of the Kamakura shogunate compiled in the late 13th century. The text mentions several individuals with the surname Nakamura serving as samurai warriors and government officials.
In the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the Nakamura family established itself as a prominent clan in the Owari Province (present-day Aichi Prefecture). The clan's ancestral home was located in the village of Nakamura, which likely contributed to the solidification of the surname.
One of the most famous historical figures with the Nakamura surname was Nakamura Naozumi (1553-1630), a renowned swordsman and martial artist who served as a retainer to the powerful Tokugawa clan during the Sengoku period.
Another notable Nakamura was Nakamura Utaemon I (1714-1791), the founder of the prestigious Nakamura-za theater in Edo (present-day Tokyo). He was a celebrated Kabuki actor and played a significant role in the development of Kabuki theater.
In the Edo period (1603-1868), the Nakamura surname was widely associated with the merchant class, particularly in the bustling cities of Edo and Osaka. Several wealthy Nakamura merchants and trade magnates emerged during this era, contributing to the economic and cultural growth of Japan.
Nakamura Masanao (1832-1891) was a prominent educator and calligrapher during the late Edo and early Meiji periods. He founded the Shogaku Yosoku (Elementary School) in Kyoto, which played a crucial role in promoting modern education in Japan.
Another noteworthy figure was Nakamura Kenkichi (1863-1952), a pioneering photographer who documented the rapid modernization of Japan in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His extensive collection of photographs provides invaluable insights into the era's social and cultural transformations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nakamura
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakamura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.0%) and White (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Nakamura 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 Nakamura surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander77.0% · 5,706
- Two or more races12.0% · 891
- White6.5% · 479
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 306
- Black or African American0.2% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nakamura
Nakamura 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
#4,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,658
-163 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.60
Rank movement Down 430 places
2020
#4,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,414
-244 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.48
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,203 | 7,821 | 2.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,633 | 7,658 | 2.60 | -163 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 430 places |
| 2020 | #4,635 | 7,414 | 2.48 | -244 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 2 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 Nakamura 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 | #4,633 | #4,635 | -0.0% |
| Count | 7,658 | 7,414 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.60 | 2.48 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nakamura bearers went from 7,658 to 7,414 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,633 to #4,635.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nakamura
FAQ
Nakamura surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nakamura?
Name Census estimates that about 8,502 living Americans carry the surname Nakamura. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,315 residents.
How common is Nakamura?
Nakamura ranks #4,635 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,414 people with the surname Nakamura. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,502), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Nakamura.
Has Nakamura become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nakamura went from 7,658 recorded bearers to 7,414. That is a decrease of 244 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,633 to #4,635.
What does the Census say about the background of Nakamura?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakamura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (12.0%) and White (6.5%). 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 Nakamura in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.0% (5,706 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nakamura appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (77.0%), Two or More Races (12.0%), White (6.5%). 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 Nakamura (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 Nakamura mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "middle village," referring to the ancestral location between two larger settlements. 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 Nakamura (2.48 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 people have the surname Nakamura?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.