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

Nishioka, 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 Nishioka surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nishioka in America

Nishioka is the 39164th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nishioka surname appeared 562 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 Nishioka.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nishioka 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 Nishioka

The surname Nishioka originated in Japan, and its roots can be traced back several centuries. It is a combination of two Japanese words: "nishi," meaning west, and "oka," meaning hill or small mountain. Therefore, the name likely referred to someone who lived near or came from a westerly located hill or mountain region.

One of the earliest known historical references to the Nishioka name can be found in the Kamakura period (1185-1333). This was a time of significant cultural and political development in Japan, and several official records from that era mention individuals bearing the Nishioka surname. It is believed that the name originated in the western regions of Japan, such as the present-day Kyoto or Osaka areas.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the Nishioka name continued to appear in various documents and records. Some notable figures from this time include Nishioka Masatoshi (1390-1455), a renowned Buddhist monk and scholar, and Nishioka Yoshimune (1436-1508), a skilled swordsmith who crafted blades for several prominent samurai families.

As Japan entered the Edo period (1603-1868), the Nishioka name spread across the country, and several prominent individuals emerged. One such figure was Nishioka Tokusō (1670-1738), a respected painter and calligrapher who worked in the traditional Japanese styles. Another was Nishioka Masanori (1785-1856), a famous woodblock print artist whose works captured the vibrant culture of the time.

In more recent history, the Nishioka name has been associated with several accomplished individuals. Nishioka Kazuo (1908-1998) was a renowned architect who designed numerous notable buildings in Japan, including the Tokyo Prefectural Government Office. Nishioka Keiko (1939-2021) was a celebrated actress who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career.

Other notable individuals with the Nishioka surname include Nishioka Hiroshi (1926-2006), a distinguished physicist who made significant contributions to the field of particle physics, and Nishioka Toshiyuki (born 1944), a former professional baseball player who played for the Yomiuri Giants and was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nishioka

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

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

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

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