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

Neary, 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 Neary surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Neary in America

Neary is the 6926th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Neary surname appeared 4,844 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 Neary.

We can also compare 2010 data for Neary 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 Neary

The surname Neary is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "nearacht" which means "strength" or "vigor." This name is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century in Ireland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neary can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it is mentioned in the year 1260. The name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Galway, Mayo, and Sligo in the western part of Ireland.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Neary surname appeared in various Irish records, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Petty Census of Ireland from 1659. These records often spelled the name as "Neary," "Neray," or "Nerey."

In the 19th century, some notable individuals with the Neary surname included Patrick Neary (1837-1910), an Irish politician and Member of Parliament, and John Neary (1851-1922), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist.

Other prominent individuals with the Neary surname throughout history include:

1. Michael Neary (1770-1856), an Irish priest and educator who founded several schools in Ireland.
2. Jeremiah Neary (1825-1898), an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the American Civil War.
3. Mary Neary (1890-1975), an Irish poet and author known for her works in the Irish language.
4. Patrick Neary (1917-1998), an Irish politician and member of the European Parliament.
5. Brendan Neary (born 1940), an Irish actor and television presenter.

The name Neary has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Neary's Point in County Mayo and Nearyville in County Galway.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Neary

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

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 Neary 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 Neary 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 Neary was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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