2000
#13,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Nakano
A Japanese habitational surname referring to someone who lived in the center or middle of a field or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,170 Americans carry the last name Nakano. That puts it at #14,998 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,951 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nakano 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
2.2K
1 in 157,951
Census rank
#14,998
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,892 bearers of the surname Nakano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14998th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakano, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and White (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nakano
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakano, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and White (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Nakano 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 Nakano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander77.4% · 1,465
- Two or more races11.3% · 214
- White7.3% · 139
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 74
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nakano
Nakano 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
#13,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,232
+108 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 396 places
2020
#14,998
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,892
-340 bearers (-15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 1,415 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,187 | 2,124 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,583 | 2,232 | 0.76 | +108 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 396 places |
| 2020 | #14,998 | 1,892 | 0.63 | -340 bearers (-15.2%) | Down 1,415 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 Nakano 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 | #13,583 | #14,998 | -10.4% |
| Count | 2,232 | 1,892 | -15.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.63 | -16.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nakano bearers went from 2,232 to 1,892 (-15.2% change). The surname moved down 1,415 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,583 to #14,998.
FAQ
Nakano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nakano?
Name Census estimates that about 2,170 living Americans carry the surname Nakano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,951 residents.
How common is Nakano?
Nakano ranks #14,998 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,892 people with the surname Nakano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,170), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Nakano.
Has Nakano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nakano went from 2,232 recorded bearers to 1,892. That is a decrease of 340 (-15.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,583 to #14,998.
What does the Census say about the background of Nakano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakano, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 77.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and White (7.3%). 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 Nakano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.4% (1,465 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nakano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (77.4%), Two or More Races (11.3%), White (7.3%). 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 Nakano (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 Nakano mean?
A Japanese habitational surname referring to someone who lived in the center or middle of a field or village. 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 Nakano (0.63 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 Nakano?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.