2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Neavin
A surname of Irish origin derived from the Gaelic name "Naoimhín" meaning "little saint".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Neavin. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neavin 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Neavin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neavin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neavin
The surname Neavin is believed to have originated in Ireland, with roots that can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is likely derived from the Irish Gaelic word "naomhóg," which means "little saint" or "little holy one." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was perceived as exceptionally pious or virtuous in their community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neavin can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by monks in the 15th century. Here, a person named Neavin O'Donnelly is mentioned as a prominent figure in the year 1432. This provides evidence that the surname was already in use by that time and may have been associated with a specific family or clan.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, as the English language gained prominence in Ireland, the spelling of the name evolved from its original Gaelic form. Various spellings such as Neavyn, Neavine, and Nevin emerged, reflecting the phonetic adaptations made by English speakers.
One notable bearer of the Neavin surname was Thomas Neavyn, a scholar and poet who lived in County Antrim, Ireland, in the late 16th century. His works, which were written in Irish Gaelic, provide valuable insights into the cultural and literary traditions of the time.
In the 18th century, the Neavin surname can be found in various historical records, including parish registers and land deeds. One prominent figure from this period was John Neavin, a landowner and merchant from County Down, Ireland, who was born in 1712 and died in 1798.
As the Irish diaspora spread across the world in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Neavin surname traveled with emigrants to various parts of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and other countries. One notable individual from this era was Mary Neavin, an Irish immigrant to the United States who was born in 1845 and became a prominent advocate for workers' rights and social reform.
Throughout its history, the Neavin surname has been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Nevinstown and Neavinville, which likely derived from the presence of families bearing this name in those locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neavin
Among Census respondents with the surname Neavin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Neavin 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 Neavin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 7
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neavin
Neavin 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,212 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,813 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,212 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 3,813 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 Neavin 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 | #144,141 | #147,954 | -2.6% |
| Count | 115 | 112 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neavin bearers went from 115 to 112 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 3,813 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #147,954.
FAQ
Neavin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neavin?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Neavin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Neavin?
Neavin ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Neavin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Neavin.
Has Neavin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neavin went from 115 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Neavin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neavin, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Neavin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neavin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Hispanic (6.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Neavin (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 Neavin mean?
A surname of Irish origin derived from the Gaelic name "Naoimhín" meaning "little saint". 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 Neavin (0.04 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 are called Neavin?
You can see how many people have the surname Neavin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.