2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Nouchi
A surname originating from Japanese nouchi meaning "field or farm".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Nouchi. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nouchi 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Nouchi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nouchi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (19.0%) and White (10.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Nouchi
The surname NOUCHI is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French term "nouche," which referred to a type of ornamental clasp or buckle used to secure clothing or accessories. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who crafted or sold such items.
The earliest known records of the NOUCHI name date back to the 13th century, with references found in various municipal rolls and tax registers from northern France. One notable early bearer was Jean Nouchi, a merchant from the town of Arras who was mentioned in a trade agreement with the city of Ghent in 1287.
By the 14th century, the name had spread to other regions of France, with variants like Nouche, Nouchier, and Nouchet appearing in records from Paris, Normandy, and Burgundy. In 1412, a Philippe Nouchi was recorded as a landowner in the village of Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon.
During the Renaissance, the name continued to be found across France, with several notable individuals bearing it. Jean Nouchi (1521-1588) was a respected lawyer and legal scholar from Aix-en-Provence, while Pierre Nouchi (1562-1621) was a Catholic priest and theologian who served as a canon in the Diocese of Avignon.
In the 17th century, the NOUCHI name crossed into neighboring countries, with records showing bearers in the Low Countries and Switzerland. One such example is Jacob Nouchi (1632-1701), a Dutch merchant and ship owner from Amsterdam.
The 18th and 19th centuries saw the name spread further across Europe and even to the Americas, with individuals like French explorer and cartographer Pierre-Gaspard Nouchi (1726-1804), who mapped parts of the Mississippi River basin, and Marie-Louise Nouchi (1786-1857), a French artist and painter who exhibited at the Paris Salon.
Other notable bearers of the NOUCHI surname include French novelist and playwright Eugène Nouchi (1819-1890), Swiss architect and designer Charles Nouchi (1842-1912), and American businessman and philanthropist Thomas Nouchi (1865-1941), who founded the Nouchi Foundation for disadvantaged youth.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nouchi
Among Census respondents with the surname Nouchi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (19.0%) and White (10.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Nouchi 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 Nouchi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander66.1% · 80
- Two or more races19.0% · 23
- White10.7% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nouchi
Nouchi appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+3 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 169 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 Nouchi 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 | #141,140 | #141,309 | -0.1% |
| Count | 118 | 121 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nouchi bearers went from 118 to 121 (+2.5% change). The surname moved down 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #141,309.
FAQ
Nouchi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nouchi?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Nouchi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Nouchi?
Nouchi ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Nouchi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Nouchi.
Has Nouchi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nouchi went from 118 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 3 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Nouchi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nouchi, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (19.0%) and White (10.7%). 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 Nouchi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nouchi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (66.1%), Two or More Races (19.0%), White (10.7%). 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 Nouchi (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 Nouchi mean?
A surname originating from Japanese nouchi meaning "field or farm". 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 Nouchi (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Nouchi?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.