2000
#101,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 164
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Nihei
A Japanese surname meaning "two wells" or "two fountains".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 205 Americans carry the last name Nihei. That puts it at #106,101 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,671,972 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nihei 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
205
1 in 1,671,972
Census rank
#106,101
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
179
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 179 bearers of the surname Nihei in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 106101st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nihei, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.2%) and White (8.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nihei
The surname NIHEI is believed to have originated in Japan during the late 16th century. It is likely derived from the Japanese words "ni" meaning "two" and "hei" meaning "soldier" or "warrior." This would suggest the name may have originally referred to someone who served as a soldier or came from a family with a military background.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the NIHEI surname can be found in the Buke Shohatto, a Japanese legal code from the early 17th century that regulated the conduct of samurai families. This text includes several references to members of the NIHEI clan, indicating they were a minor noble family at the time.
In the late 17th century, a man named NIHEI Masataka (1638-1718) gained prominence as a skilled swordsman and instructor in the Shinkage-ryu school of swordsmanship. His teachings and writings on martial arts techniques helped spread the family name.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the NIHEI surname was also associated with several villages and towns in various regions of Japan. For example, there were small hamlets called Nihei-mura in both Aichi and Gifu prefectures.
Another notable figure was NIHEI Toshitaka (1754-1823), a scholar and government official who served as a minister during the late Tokugawa shogunate. He published several influential works on Confucian philosophy and ethics.
In more recent centuries, NIHEI Tsutomu (1865-1924) was a successful businessman and politician who helped establish the Tokyo Stock Exchange and served as a member of the House of Representatives.
The early 20th century also saw the emergence of NIHEI Shuzo (1902-1981), an acclaimed artist known for his traditional Japanese ink wash paintings depicting landscapes and nature scenes.
Throughout its long history, the NIHEI surname has remained relatively uncommon but notable examples can be found among samurai clans, scholars, merchants, artists, and government officials across many different eras of Japanese history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nihei
Among Census respondents with the surname Nihei, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.2%) and White (8.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Nihei 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 Nihei surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander76.5% · 137
- Two or more races11.2% · 20
- White8.4% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 6
- Black or African American0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nihei
Nihei 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
#100,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 179
+15 bearers (+9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 863 places
2020
#106,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 179
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 5,310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #101,654 | 164 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #100,791 | 179 | 0.06 | +15 bearers (+9.1%) | Up 863 places |
| 2020 | #106,101 | 179 | 0.06 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 5,310 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 Nihei 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 | #100,791 | #106,101 | -5.3% |
| Count | 179 | 179 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nihei bearers went from 179 to 179 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 5,310 positions in the national ranking, going from #100,791 to #106,101.
FAQ
Nihei surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nihei?
Name Census estimates that about 205 living Americans carry the surname Nihei. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,671,972 residents.
How common is Nihei?
Nihei ranks #106,101 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 179 people with the surname Nihei. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (205), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Nihei.
Has Nihei become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nihei went from 179 recorded bearers to 179. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #100,791 to #106,101.
What does the Census say about the background of Nihei?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nihei, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.2%) and White (8.4%). 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 Nihei in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (137 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nihei appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (76.5%), Two or More Races (11.2%), White (8.4%). 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 Nihei (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 Nihei mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "two wells" or "two fountains". 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 Nihei (0.06 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 are called Nihei?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Nihei on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.