Explore the Family Name Nakatani

The meaning of Nakatani

Japanese: written 中谷 ‘central valley’. It is found mostly in western Japan and the island of Okinawa. An alternate reading in eastern Japan is Nakaya. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Etsuko, Yoshio, Akira, Iwao, Rumiko, Aiko, Ayako, Chie, Fumihiko, Isamu, Isao, Katsutoshi.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Nakatani has slightly decreased between 2000 and 2010. The rank of this surname dropped from 35,387 to 37,125, marking a decline of 4.91%. The count also marginally declined from 602 to 601 individuals bearing this surname, which is a decrease of 0.17%. The proportion per 100,000 people also fell by 9.09%, moving from 0.22 to 0.2.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#35,387	#37,125	-4.91%
Count	602	601	-0.17%
Proportion per 100k	0.22	0.2	-9.09%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Nakatani

When it comes to ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates that most individuals with the Nakatani surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander in both 2000 and 2010, although there was a slight decrease from 77.57% to 70.38%. However, an increase can be seen in those identifying with two or more races, rising substantially from 9.63% to 14.98%. There was also an observable growth in the Hispanic demographic, who represented 6.82% of the Nakatani surname bearers in 2010, up from 4.32% in 2000. The percentage of Whites slightly decreased from 8.31% to 7.65%. The data for Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native communities remained at zero, indicating no representation within the Nakatani surname bearers during these years.

	2000	2010	Change
Asian/Pacific Islander	77.57%	70.38%	-9.27%
Two or More Races	9.63%	14.98%	55.56%
White	8.31%	7.65%	-7.94%
Hispanic	4.32%	6.82%	57.87%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%