2000
#81,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 216
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Nakaoka
A surname of Japanese origin referring to someone from the central hill or plateau area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 229 Americans carry the last name Nakaoka. That puts it at #97,359 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,496,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nakaoka 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
229
1 in 1,496,744
Census rank
#97,359
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
200
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 200 bearers of the surname Nakaoka in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 97359th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakaoka, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.5%) and White (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nakaoka
The surname NAKAOKA originated in Japan, with roots dating back to the 8th century AD. It is a locational name, derived from the place name "Nakaoka" which means "middle hill" or "central hill" in Japanese.
The earliest known records of the NAKAOKA surname appear in documents from the Heian period (794-1185 AD), where it was often used to identify individuals from the village or area of Nakaoka. During this time, Japan saw the rise of powerful clans and samurai families, some of whom may have adopted the name NAKAOKA.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the NAKAOKA surname was Nakaoka Shigen, a renowned Buddhist monk who lived in the 13th century and was known for his calligraphic works. Another notable figure was Nakaoka Tokuun (1544-1597), a prominent Zen Buddhist teacher and scholar during the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
In the 16th century, the NAKAOKA name appears in records of the Sengoku period, when Japan was embroiled in a series of civil wars. Nakaoka Kazumasa (1546-1609) was a samurai and vassal of the powerful Tokugawa clan, playing a role in the battles that eventually led to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the NAKAOKA surname continued to be associated with various domains and regions across Japan. One notable figure was Nakaoka Tetsutaro (1776-1841), a scholar and educator who helped establish one of the earliest modern schools in Japan.
In more recent history, Nakaoka Shintaro (1838-1867) was a prominent samurai and leader during the Bakumatsu period, fighting against the Tokugawa shogunate in support of the imperial cause. Nakaoka Isao (1909-1995) was a respected physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nakaoka
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakaoka, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.5%) and White (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Nakaoka 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 Nakaoka surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander79.5% · 159
- Two or more races11.5% · 23
- White6.0% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nakaoka
Nakaoka 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
#90,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 204
-12 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 9,081 places
2020
#97,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 200
-4 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 6,864 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #81,414 | 216 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #90,495 | 204 | 0.07 | -12 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 9,081 places |
| 2020 | #97,359 | 200 | 0.07 | -4 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 6,864 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 Nakaoka 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 | #90,495 | #97,359 | -7.6% |
| Count | 204 | 200 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nakaoka bearers went from 204 to 200 (-2.0% change). The surname moved down 6,864 positions in the national ranking, going from #90,495 to #97,359.
FAQ
Nakaoka surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nakaoka?
Name Census estimates that about 229 living Americans carry the surname Nakaoka. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,496,744 residents.
How common is Nakaoka?
Nakaoka ranks #97,359 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 200 people with the surname Nakaoka. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (229), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Nakaoka.
Has Nakaoka become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nakaoka went from 204 recorded bearers to 200. That is a decrease of 4 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #90,495 to #97,359.
What does the Census say about the background of Nakaoka?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakaoka, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.5%) and White (6.0%). 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 Nakaoka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (159 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nakaoka appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (79.5%), Two or More Races (11.5%), White (6.0%). 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 Nakaoka (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 Nakaoka mean?
A surname of Japanese origin referring to someone from the central hill or plateau area. 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 Nakaoka (0.07 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 share the surname Nakaoka?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.