2000
#7,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,856
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Nealy
Derived from the Irish surname "McNeely" or "MacNeely," meaning "son of Niall," referring to a descendant of Niall.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,831 Americans carry the last name Nealy. That puts it at #7,595 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Nealy surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 70,949
Census rank
#7,595
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,213 bearers of the surname Nealy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7595th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Nealy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.9%. The next largest groups are White (34.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nealy
Among Census respondents with the surname Nealy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.9%. The next largest groups are White (34.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Nealy bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Nealy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American56.9% · 2,399
- White34.3% · 1,444
- Two or more races4.8% · 202
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 136
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Nealy
Nealy appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,426
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,485
+629 bearers (+16.3%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Up 533 places
2020
#7,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,213
-272 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,959 | 3,856 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,426 | 4,485 | 1.52 | +629 bearers (+16.3%) | Up 533 places |
| 2020 | #7,595 | 4,213 | 1.41 | -272 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 169 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Nealy surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,426 | #7,595 | -2.3% |
| Count | 4,485 | 4,213 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.41 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Nealy bearers went from 4,485 to 4,213 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,426 to #7,595.
FAQ
Nealy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Nealy?
Name Census estimates that about 4,831 living Americans carry the surname Nealy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,949 residents.
How common is Nealy?
Nealy ranks #7,595 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,213 people with the surname Nealy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,831), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Nealy.
Has Nealy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Nealy went from 4,485 recorded bearers to 4,213. That is a decrease of 272 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,426 to #7,595.
What does the Census say about the background of Nealy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Nealy, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.9%. The next largest groups are White (34.3%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Nealy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.9% (2,399 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Nealy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (56.9%), White (34.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Nealy (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Nealy mean?
Derived from the Irish surname "McNeely" or "MacNeely," meaning "son of Niall," referring to a descendant of Niall. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Nealy (1.41 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Nealy?
If you just want to know how many people are called Nealy, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.