Naufahu
A surname derived from the Tongan words "nau" meaning group and "fahu" meaning young, referring to a collective of youths or young people.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Naufahu. That puts it at #150,452 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Naufahu 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.
Naufahu appeared in the 2010 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#150,452
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Naufahu in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150452nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Naufahu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Naufahu
The surname "NAUFAHU" is believed to have its origins in the Polynesian islands of the Pacific Ocean, specifically from the Tongan language. It likely emerged during the 15th or 16th century when European explorers began encountering and documenting the various cultures and peoples of the region.
The name "NAUFAHU" is thought to be derived from the Tongan words "nau" meaning "they" or "them" and "fahu" which can be translated as "to carry" or "to bear". Thus, the name may have originally referred to a person or group responsible for carrying or transporting goods or materials.
There are no known historical records or manuscripts that specifically mention the surname "NAUFAHU" from this early period, as written documentation was limited in the region at that time. However, it is possible that the name may have been recorded in the logbooks or journals of early European explorers and traders who visited the Tongan islands.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "NAUFAHU" was a Tongan chief named Viliami Naufahu, who lived in the late 18th century and was known for his role in leading resistance against European colonization efforts in the region.
Another notable figure with the "NAUFAHU" surname was Sione Naufahu, a Tongan politician and diplomat who served as the first governor of the island of Vava'u in the late 19th century (born around 1840, died in the early 1900s).
In the 20th century, a prominent individual with the "NAUFAHU" name was Taniela Naufahu, a Tongan-born actor and professional wrestler who achieved success in both the United States and Japan (born in 1979).
Another individual worth mentioning is Semisi Naufahu, a Tongan rugby player who represented his country in several international competitions during the 1990s and early 2000s (born in 1972).
Lastly, Mele Naufahu was a notable Tongan artist and cultural practitioner who was known for her expertise in traditional weaving and textile arts (born in the 1940s, died in the early 2000s).
While the surname "NAUFAHU" is relatively uncommon outside of Tonga and the Polynesian diaspora, it has a rich cultural heritage and history that reflects the unique traditions and language of the Tongan people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Naufahu
Among Census respondents with the surname Naufahu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Naufahu bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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 Naufahu surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander86.2%
- Unknown or suppressed8.3%
- Two or more races5.5%
FAQ
Naufahu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Naufahu?
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the surname Naufahu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,501,856 residents.
How common is Naufahu?
Naufahu ranks #150,452 in the 2010 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 2010 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Naufahu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137), 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 Naufahu.
Has Naufahu become more or less common over time?
Naufahu appears here with 2010 Census data. When additional surname-file years are available for this name, Name Census uses them to show longer-term movement in rank and bearer count.
What does the Census say about the background of Naufahu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Naufahu, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%). These figures come from the 2010 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 Naufahu in the 2010 Census, accounting for 86.2%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Naufahu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2010 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (86.2%), Two or More Races (5.5%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Naufahu appears here with 2010 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Naufahu mean?
A surname derived from the Tongan words "nau" meaning group and "fahu" meaning young, referring to a collective of youths or young people. 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 2010 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 Naufahu (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 people have the surname Naufahu?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.