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

Nishihira, 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 Nishihira surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nishihira in America

Nishihira is the 103181st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nishihira surname appeared 174 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 Nishihira.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nishihira 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 Nishihira

The surname NISHIHIRA is of Japanese origin, originating during the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan. It is a locational surname, indicating that the ancestors of this family likely originated from or lived in the western region of Japan, near the city of Hiroshima.

The name NISHIHIRA is composed of two Japanese words: "nishi" meaning "west" and "hira" meaning "flat land" or "plain." This suggests that the name may have been derived from a geographic location or village situated in a western flat area or plain.

While there are no known historical references to the NISHIHIRA name in ancient manuscripts or records, some of the earliest documented instances of this surname can be traced back to the late 17th century in the Hiroshima region.

One of the earliest known individuals with the NISHIHIRA surname was Nishihira Masanori (1638-1711), a samurai warrior and retainer of the Asano clan during the Edo period. Another notable figure was Nishihira Tatsuo (1886-1944), a Japanese politician and member of the House of Representatives in the early 20th century.

During the Meiji era (1868-1912), the NISHIHIRA name gained prominence with Nishihira Isao (1820-1897), a successful businessman and founder of the Nishihira Trading Company, which played a significant role in the modernization of Japan's economy.

In more recent history, Nishihira Shigeru (1920-1986) was a renowned Japanese novelist and poet, known for his works exploring the human condition and the aftermath of World War II.

Another individual of note was Nishihira Masako (1945-2021), a celebrated Japanese artist and sculptor, whose works were exhibited in galleries around the world and are part of several prestigious museum collections.

While the NISHIHIRA surname is relatively uncommon outside of Japan, it has a rich history and cultural significance, reflecting the geographic origins and achievements of its bearers throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nishihira

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

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 Nishihira 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 Nishihira 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 Nishihira was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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