The name "Nakamoto" (中本 or 仲本) is a common Japanese surname with two primary interpretations based on its kanji components:

中本 (Nakamoto): Combines 中 (naka, meaning "middle") and 本 (moto, meaning "origin" or "base"). This translates roughly to "middle origin" or "central foundation".

仲本 (Nakamoto): Uses 仲 (naka, meaning "relationship") instead, implying "relationship origin".

Alternative kanji like 中元 (Nakamoto) can also mean "Chinese currency" (中 = China, 元 = yuan), though this is speculative and less common. The name gained prominence through Bitcoin's pseudonymous creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, but its etymology remains tied to standard Japanese naming conventions.

Craig Wright, who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, linked the name to Tominaga Nakamoto, an 18th-century Japanese philosopher likened to Adam Smith, though this claim is unverified.