Explore the Family Name Nakayama

The meaning of Nakayama

Japanese: written 中山 ‘central mountain’, a common placename. The surname is mainly found in western Japan and on the island of Okinawa. A few bearers descend from the northern Fujiwara clan. Some characteristic forenames: Japanese Takashi, Hideo, Isamu, Noboru, Shigeru, Takao, Yoshiko, Yoshinari, Hiroshi, Kazuo, Keiko, Kenichi.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Nakayama saw a decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname dropped from 17,030 to 18,734, marking a decline of 10.01%. In terms of actual counts, there was a slight reduction from 1,538 Nakayamas in 2000 to 1,465 in 2010, which is a 4.75% decrease. The proportion per 100,000 people also decreased by 12.28%, from 0.57 to 0.5.

20002010Change
Rank#17,030#18,734-10.01%
Count1,5381,465-4.75%
Proportion per 100k0.570.5-12.28%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Nakayama

When it comes to ethnicity, the majority of the people with the Nakayama surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. However, this demographic witnessed a decrease of 3.56% over the decade. Conversely, those identifying with two or more races showed an increase of 43.14%, and the percentage of Whites increased by 10.19%. The Hispanic representation remained almost steady with a minimal decrease of 0.85%. There were no documented changes in the Black, American Indian, and Alaskan Native categories for this surname during this period.

20002010Change
Asian/Pacific Islander85.5%82.46%-3.56%
Two or More Races6.63%9.49%43.14%
White5.2%5.73%10.19%
Hispanic2.34%2.32%-0.85%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%