Find out how popular the last name Nakano is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nakano.

Nakano, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nakano surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nakano in America

Nakano is the 13583rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nakano surname appeared 2,232 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Nakano.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nakano to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Nakano

The surname NAKANO originated in Japan, with records dating back to the late 8th century. It is derived from the Japanese word "naka," meaning "middle" or "center," and "no," meaning "of." The name likely referred to someone living in the central part of a village or region.

One of the earliest known references to the name NAKANO can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an early Japanese historical text compiled in the late 8th century. The text mentions several individuals with the surname, suggesting it was already established by that time.

During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the NAKANO family gained prominence as samurai warriors and landowners in the Kanto region, around present-day Tokyo. Historical records from this era, such as the Azuma Kagami, a chronicle of the Kamakura shogunate, mention various members of the NAKANO clan.

In the 16th century, a notable figure named NAKANO Takayuki (1510-1581) was a skilled military strategist and diplomat who served under the powerful Oda clan. He played a crucial role in the unification of Japan during the Sengoku period.

Another historical figure with the surname NAKANO was Nakano Kazuma (1776-1838), a renowned scholar and poet of the late Edo period. He was known for his contributions to the study of Japanese literature and history.

During the Meiji era (1868-1912), NAKANO Seigō (1827-1908) was an influential politician and statesman who played a key role in the modernization of Japan. He served as the Minister of Education and helped establish the country's modern education system.

In more recent times, NAKANO Hiroshi (1925-2004) was a renowned artist and printmaker who helped popularize the Japanese woodblock printing technique known as ukiyo-e in the West.

While these are some notable examples, the surname NAKANO has been widely distributed across Japan for centuries, with many individuals bearing the name throughout history, from samurai warriors and scholars to artists and politicians.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nakano

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nakano.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nakano was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nakano has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nakano was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nakano, please contact us.

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