2000
#11,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,551
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Nishimura
A Japanese surname meaning "western village," referring to the geographical location of the family's ancestral home.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,673 Americans carry the last name Nishimura. That puts it at #12,652 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,228 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nishimura 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
2.7K
1 in 128,228
Census rank
#12,652
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,331 bearers of the surname Nishimura in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12652nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nishimura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and White (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nishimura
The surname Nishimura is of Japanese origin, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. The name is derived from the combination of two Japanese words, "nishi" meaning west and "mura" meaning village, suggesting that the family originated from a western village or settlement.
One of the earliest known references to the Nishimura name can be found in the historical records of the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868. Several samurai warriors and feudal lords bore the Nishimura surname during this era, including Nishimura Shigenao (1638-1718), a prominent daimyo (feudal lord) who governed the Akita Domain in northern Japan.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Nishimura name was also associated with various merchant families and artisans. One notable figure was Nishimura Shigenaga (1693-1756), a celebrated woodblock print artist known for his intricate ukiyo-e prints depicting scenes from Kabuki theater and everyday life in Edo (present-day Tokyo).
In the late 19th century, as Japan underwent modernization and westernization during the Meiji Restoration, the Nishimura name gained prominence in various fields. Nishimura Shigeki (1828-1902) was a prominent samurai and statesman who played a crucial role in the formation of the Imperial Japanese Army, serving as the first Chief of the Army General Staff.
Another notable figure was Nishimura Yukio (1850-1924), a pioneering educator and founder of one of Japan's earliest modern schools, the Keio Gijuku University. His contributions to the advancement of education in Japan were widely recognized, and he was awarded the prestigious Order of the Rising Sun.
In more recent times, the Nishimura name has been associated with achievements in various fields, including sports, literature, and business. Nishimura Hiroshi (1927-2003) was a celebrated novelist and essayist, known for his works exploring themes of modern Japanese society and human relationships. Nishimura Shingo (born 1977) is a professional baseball player who has played for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league.
The surname Nishimura continues to be widely used across Japan, reflecting its rich historical roots and the contributions of its bearers to various aspects of Japanese culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nishimura
Among Census respondents with the surname Nishimura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and White (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Nishimura 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 Nishimura surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander76.2% · 1,776
- Two or more races13.4% · 312
- White6.3% · 146
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 92
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nishimura
Nishimura 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
#12,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,424
-127 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 1,383 places
2020
#12,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,331
-93 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 80 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,349 | 2,551 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,732 | 2,424 | 0.82 | -127 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 1,383 places |
| 2020 | #12,652 | 2,331 | 0.78 | -93 bearers (-3.8%) | Up 80 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 Nishimura 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 | #12,732 | #12,652 | 0.6% |
| Count | 2,424 | 2,331 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.78 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nishimura bearers went from 2,424 to 2,331 (-3.8% change). The surname moved up 80 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,732 to #12,652.
FAQ
Nishimura surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nishimura?
Name Census estimates that about 2,673 living Americans carry the surname Nishimura. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,228 residents.
How common is Nishimura?
Nishimura ranks #12,652 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,331 people with the surname Nishimura. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,673), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Nishimura.
Has Nishimura become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nishimura went from 2,424 recorded bearers to 2,331. That is a decrease of 93 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,732 to #12,652.
What does the Census say about the background of Nishimura?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nishimura, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (13.4%) and White (6.3%). 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 Nishimura in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (1,776 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nishimura appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (76.2%), Two or More Races (13.4%), White (6.3%). 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 Nishimura (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 Nishimura mean?
A Japanese surname meaning "western village," referring to the geographical location of the family's ancestral home. 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 Nishimura (0.78 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 Nishimura?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.