2000
#16,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,579
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.59
Rare Last name
Nakata
A habitational surname denoting a person from Nakata, Japan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,464 Americans carry the last name Nakata. That puts it at #20,933 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 234,122 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nakata 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
1.5K
1 in 234,122
Census rank
#20,933
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,277 bearers of the surname Nakata in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20933rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakata, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.8%) and White (9.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nakata
The surname NAKATA has its origins in Japan, with the earliest records dating back to the 8th century AD. It is derived from the Japanese words "naka" meaning "inside" and "ta" meaning "rice paddy" or "field." This suggests that the name may have originated from a person or family who lived or worked in the inner rice fields of a village or town.
In ancient Japanese records, the name is sometimes spelled as "Nakada" or "Nakatera." These variations likely stem from regional dialects or differences in pronunciation over time. One of the earliest documented references to the name NAKATA can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, an imperial chronicle compiled in the late 8th century.
The NAKATA name has been associated with several notable figures throughout Japanese history. In the 12th century, Nakata Masahiro (1138-1215) was a prominent samurai and military commander who served under the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War. His exploits were recorded in the Heike Monogatari, a famous literary work depicting the struggle between the Minamoto and Taira clans.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the NAKATA family held significant influence in the Tosa Domain (present-day Kochi Prefecture). Nakata Nobuyoshi (1619-1690) was a skilled administrator and scholar who served as a senior retainer to the Yamauchi clan, the ruling daimyo of Tosa.
In more recent times, Nakata Masaru (1901-1992) was a renowned painter and printmaker known for his vivid depictions of traditional Japanese life and landscapes. His works can be found in numerous art museums and collections worldwide.
Another notable figure was Nakata Bunshiro (1876-1944), a pioneering educator and philosopher who advocated for progressive educational reforms in Japan. He founded the Nakata Bunshiro Juku, a prominent private school that emphasized critical thinking and a well-rounded education.
While the NAKATA name has its roots in Japan, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and globalization. However, its historical significance and connections to Japanese culture and traditions remain deeply ingrained in its origins and evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nakata
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakata, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.8%) and White (9.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Nakata 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 Nakata surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander71.8% · 917
- Two or more races13.8% · 176
- White9.6% · 123
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 61
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nakata
Nakata 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
#15,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,826
+247 bearers (+15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 776 places
2020
#20,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,277
-549 bearers (-30.1%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 5,021 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,688 | 1,579 | 0.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,912 | 1,826 | 0.62 | +247 bearers (+15.6%) | Up 776 places |
| 2020 | #20,933 | 1,277 | 0.43 | -549 bearers (-30.1%) | Down 5,021 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 Nakata 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 | #15,912 | #20,933 | -31.6% |
| Count | 1,826 | 1,277 | -30.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.43 | -31.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nakata bearers went from 1,826 to 1,277 (-30.1% change). The surname moved down 5,021 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,912 to #20,933.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Nakata
FAQ
Nakata surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nakata?
Name Census estimates that about 1,464 living Americans carry the surname Nakata. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 234,122 residents.
How common is Nakata?
Nakata ranks #20,933 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,277 people with the surname Nakata. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,464), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Nakata.
Has Nakata become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nakata went from 1,826 recorded bearers to 1,277. That is a decrease of 549 (-30.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,912 to #20,933.
What does the Census say about the background of Nakata?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nakata, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.8%) and White (9.6%). 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 Nakata in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (917 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nakata appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (71.8%), Two or More Races (13.8%), White (9.6%). 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 Nakata (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 Nakata mean?
A habitational surname denoting a person from Nakata, Japan. 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 Nakata (0.43 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 Nakata?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.