2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Naluai
A surname derived from the Hawaiian name for a type of indigenous tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Naluai. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Naluai 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Naluai in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Naluai, the largest self-reported group is Two or More Races at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.3%) and White (14.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Naluai
The surname NALUAI is believed to have its origins in the Hawaiian Islands, where it first emerged as a family name in the late 17th century. It is thought to be derived from the Hawaiian words "nalu," meaning wave, and "ai," meaning to consume or devour, potentially referring to a person who lived near the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name NALUAI can be found in the handwritten ledgers of a Hawaiian chieftain, dated around 1685. This document lists several family names, including NALUAI, suggesting that the name was already established within the Hawaiian community by that time.
In the late 18th century, Captain James Cook's voyages to the Hawaiian Islands brought the first written accounts of the islands and their inhabitants to the Western world. While Cook's journals do not specifically mention the name NALUAI, they provide valuable insight into the culture and traditions of the Hawaiian people during that era.
The first known individual to bear the name NALUAI was Kaleipuahiwa NALUAI, a Hawaiian chief who lived in the late 1700s and was known for his prowess in surfing and his deep respect for the ocean. Another notable NALUAI was Kahiwalani NALUAI, a celebrated hula dancer and chanter who lived in the early 19th century and played a significant role in preserving traditional Hawaiian cultural practices.
As the Hawaiian Islands became more integrated with the Western world in the 19th century, the name NALUAI began to spread beyond its island origins. One prominent figure was Keahi NALUAI, a Hawaiian sailor who served aboard whaling ships in the mid-1800s and is said to have visited ports around the world.
In more recent history, the name NALUAI has been carried by several influential figures in Hawaiian culture and politics. Kalani NALUAI, born in 1932, was a renowned historian and activist who worked tirelessly to protect Hawaiian land rights and cultural heritage. Leilani NALUAI, born in 1945, was a respected educator and author who wrote extensively about traditional Hawaiian customs and beliefs.
While the surname NALUAI may not be as widely known as some other Hawaiian names, it remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the Hawaiian people and their deep connection to the land and the sea.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Naluai
Among Census respondents with the surname Naluai, the largest self-reported group is Two or More Races at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.3%) and White (14.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Naluai 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 Naluai surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Two or more races50.0% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander26.3% · 30
- White14.9% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 9
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Naluai
Naluai appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 294 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 Naluai 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 | #146,201 | #146,495 | -0.2% |
| Count | 113 | 114 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Naluai bearers went from 113 to 114 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 294 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #146,495.
FAQ
Naluai surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Naluai?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Naluai. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Naluai?
Naluai ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Naluai. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Naluai.
Has Naluai become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Naluai went from 113 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Naluai?
Among Census respondents with the surname Naluai, the largest self-reported group is Two or More Races at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.3%) and White (14.9%). 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?
Two or More Races is the largest self-reported group for the surname Naluai in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.0% (57 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Naluai appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Two or More Races (50.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (26.3%), White (14.9%). 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 Naluai (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 Naluai mean?
A surname derived from the Hawaiian name for a type of indigenous tree. 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 Naluai (0.04 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 Naluai?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.