Find out how popular the last name Nishida is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nishida.

Nishida, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nishida surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nishida in America

Nishida is the 22689th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nishida surname appeared 1,130 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Nishida.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nishida to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Nishida

The surname Nishida is of Japanese origin, originating in the late Heian period (794-1185 AD). It is believed to have derived from the Old Japanese phrase "nishi-da," which translates to "western rice paddy." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have lived in or near a western-facing rice field.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Nishida can be found in the Azuma Kagami, a historical chronicle of the Kamakura period (1185-1333 AD). The text mentions a samurai named Nishida Yoshikiyo, who served under the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War (1180-1185 AD).

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573 AD), the Nishida family established themselves as a prominent clan in the Bingo Province (present-day Hiroshima Prefecture). The family's ancestral home was located in the village of Nishida, which may have contributed to the solidification of their surname.

In the Edo period (1603-1868 AD), several Nishida clan members achieved notable positions. Nishida Masanori (1600-1671) served as a daimyo (feudal lord) and played a crucial role in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Nishida Naganori (1612-1683), a Confucian scholar and bureaucrat, was appointed as the chief minister of the Mito Domain.

Another famous bearer of the Nishida surname was Nishida Kitaro (1870-1945), a renowned philosopher who founded the Kyoto School of philosophy. His works, such as "An Inquiry into the Good" and "Intuition and Reflection in Self-Consciousness," significantly influenced modern Japanese thought.

Nishida Tatsuo (1928-2012) was a celebrated architect known for his innovative designs, including the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan concert hall. His contributions to Japanese architecture earned him numerous accolades, including the Pritzker Prize in 1987.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nishida

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nishida.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nishida was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nishida has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nishida was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nishida, please contact us.

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