Explore the Family Name Nakajima

The meaning of Nakajima

Japanese: written 中島 ‘middle island’; a more common pronunciation is Nakashima. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Takashi, Hiroshi, Shigeru, Hideo, Kazuo, Kunio, Masayuki, Mihoko, Nobuyuki, Shigeki, Shinya, Akemi.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Nakajima in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Nakajima has seen a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 29,543rd most common surname in the United States, but by 2010 it fell to the 32,396th position, marking a decrease of around 9.66%. The total count of individuals with this surname also dropped from 753 in 2000 to 710 in 2010, reflecting a 5.71% reduction. As a result, the proportion per 100,000 people decreased by 14.29%, from 0.28 in 2000 to 0.24 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#29,543	#32,396	-9.66%
Count	753	710	-5.71%
Proportion per 100k	0.28	0.24	-14.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Nakajima

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the predominant ethnic identity associated with the surname Nakajima is Asian/Pacific Islander, although this group experienced a minor decrease of 0.96% between 2000 and 2010. Individuals who identify with two or more races make up the second largest group, though their percentage also declined from 5.71% in 2000 to 5.21% in 2010. Conversely, those identifying as White saw a significant increase of 28.05%, moving from 3.85% in 2000 to 4.93% in 2010. There were no changes in the percentages of those identifying as Hispanic, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native during this decade.

	2000	2010	Change
Asian/Pacific Islander	90.17%	89.3%	-0.96%
Two or More Races	5.71%	5.21%	-8.76%
White	3.85%	4.93%	28.05%
Hispanic	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%