nakada

Nakada is a Japanese surname. It is written with the kanji 中田, which combines naka meaning "middle" and ta or da meaning "rice field." The name is typically associated with a geographic origin, indicating a person from or living near a central field, a common pattern in Japanese place-based surnames. The surname is relatively common in Japan and is found among people in many regions and walks of life.

The reading of the kanji 中田 varies by family tradition. Nakata is the reading most widely encountered for this character combination, but Nakada is also used by some families. As a result, romanized forms of the name may appear as Nakata, Nakada, or other variants depending on pronunciation and romanization choices.

Beyond Japan, Nakada is found in Japanese diaspora communities, where families settled in the Americas, Asia, and Europe. The surname is one example of how landscape-based Japanese surnames reflect historical settlement and agrarian life.

In cultural contexts, individuals bearing the surname Nakada have contributed to a range of fields, including sports, academia, and the arts, reflecting the surname's broad presence in public life. The name is also encountered in fiction and media as a typical Japanese surname.