Find out how popular the last name Nealy is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Nealy.

Nealy, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Nealy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nealy in America

Nealy is the 7426th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nealy surname appeared 4,485 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Nealy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nealy to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Nealy

The surname NEALY is believed to have originated in Ireland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic word "neall," meaning "cloud" or "mist," possibly referring to someone who lived near a misty area or in a cloudy region.

One of the earliest documented references to the name NEALY can be found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which were records of official documents and appointments made during the reigns of the Tudor monarchs in Ireland. In these records, a "Patrick Nealy" is mentioned in 1586.

The NEALY surname is also found in historical records from County Tipperary, where it was particularly concentrated in the parishes of Templederry and Kilmore. Some of the earliest recorded examples include John Nealy, born in 1675 in Templederry, and Thomas Nealy, born in 1692 in Kilmore.

Throughout the centuries, various spellings of the name have been used, such as Neely, Neille, and Neilly. These variations can often be traced back to different regions or dialects within Ireland.

In terms of notable individuals bearing the surname NEALY, one noteworthy figure is James Nealy, an Irish politician and lawyer who served as a Member of Parliament for County Tipperary from 1776 to 1783. Another prominent NEALY was Patrick Nealy, a renowned Irish poet and playwright who lived in the late 18th century.

Moving forward in time, John Nealy (1798-1876) was a prominent businessman and landowner in County Tipperary, while Michael Nealy (1837-1912) was a respected educator and headmaster of several schools in the region.

In more recent history, but still preceding modern census data, one notable individual was Margaret Nealy (1892-1978), an Irish-American author and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social justice causes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nealy

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Nealy.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Nealy was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Nealy has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Nealy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Nealy, please contact us.

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