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

Nozawa, 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 Nozawa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nozawa in America

Nozawa is the 81181st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nozawa surname appeared 233 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 Nozawa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nozawa 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 Nozawa

The surname Nozawa originates from Japan and has its roots in the medieval period. It is believed to have first emerged as a place name referring to villages or regions located in the mountainous regions of central Japan. The name "Nozawa" is thought to be derived from the Japanese words "no" meaning "field" or "prairie" and "zawa" meaning "swamp" or "marsh," indicating that the name likely originated from a settlement near a marshy field or prairie.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nozawa can be found in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) when it was used to identify a prominent samurai family from the Nozawa region in present-day Nagano Prefecture. This family played an important role in the military campaigns of the era and is mentioned in several historical chronicles and documents.

During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the Nozawa name gained further prominence with the rise of Nozawa Hisamitsu (1492-1564), a renowned military strategist and daimyo (feudal lord) who controlled a significant territory in the Shinano Province (now Nagano Prefecture). Hisamitsu's descendants continued to wield influence in the region until the Edo period (1603-1868).

Another notable figure with the Nozawa surname was Nozawa Bunzō (1787-1859), a celebrated scholar and educator who played a crucial role in the development of Western-style education in Japan during the late Edo period. Bunzō established one of the first schools in Japan to teach Dutch and Western sciences, paving the way for the modernization of Japan's educational system.

In the 20th century, Nozawa Sakae (1904-1995) was a prominent Japanese economist and academic who made significant contributions to the field of economic theory. He served as the president of Hitotsubashi University and was a recipient of the prestigious Order of Culture from the Japanese government.

Nozawa Hisashi (1921-2005) was a renowned Japanese martial artist and the founder of the Shingen-ryū school of ninjutsu (ninja techniques). He is credited with reviving and popularizing the ancient art of ninjutsu, which had been in decline for centuries.

Throughout its history, the Nozawa surname has been associated with various place names and localities in Japan, including Nozawa Village in Nagano Prefecture, Nozawa Town in Shizuoka Prefecture, and Nozawa City in Tochigi Prefecture, among others. These place names likely originated from the same linguistic roots as the surname itself and further reinforce its connection to the mountainous regions of central Japan.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nozawa

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

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

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

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