2000
#1,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,308
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.64
Uncommon Last name
Neely
Derived from Irish and Scottish Gaelic "Ó Néill," meaning "descendant of Niall," a personal name meaning "champion."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,590 Americans carry the last name Neely. That puts it at #1,567 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,394 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neely 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Neely with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,394
Census rank
#1,567
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
22K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,316 bearers of the surname Neely in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1567th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neely, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neely
The surname Neely is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "O'Naoidhile," which means "descendant of the little prophet." The name can be traced back to the 12th century in County Tyrone, Ireland. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "O'Neilly" in the Irish Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a manuscript dating back to the 15th century, which mentions a "Ferdorcha O'Neilli" in the year 1433. The name is also found in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, a collection of royal decrees and orders from the 16th century, where it is spelled "O'Neyly."
In the 17th century, the name began to take on its more modern spelling of "Neely" as Irish families anglicized their surnames during the Plantation of Ulster. One notable figure from this period was Sir John Neely, born in County Antrim in 1634, who served as a colonel in the Royalist army during the English Civil War.
As the Neely family spread across Ireland and later to other parts of the world, the name became associated with various place names. For example, there is a Neely's Quarter in County Down, and a Neely's Hollow in Tennessee, USA, which was named after an early settler from the Neely family.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Neely. One of the earliest was Thomas Neely, born in 1680 in County Tyrone, who was a prominent Presbyterian minister and one of the founders of the Presbytery of Monaghan. Another notable figure was James Neely, born in 1719 in County Antrim, who was a surveyor and cartographer responsible for mapping parts of Virginia and West Virginia in the 18th century.
In the 19th century, Reverend Hugh Neely, born in 1818 in County Down, was a prominent Presbyterian minister and author who wrote several books on theology and church history. William Neely, born in 1839 in County Tyrone, was a successful businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to education and charitable causes in Ireland.
In the 20th century, George Neely, born in 1907 in County Antrim, was a renowned artist and painter known for his landscapes and portraiture. He was elected a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1948.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neely
Among Census respondents with the surname Neely, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Neely 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 Neely surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.6% · 15,316
- Black or African American22.7% · 5,069
- Two or more races4.8% · 1,064
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 633
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 141
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 93
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neely
Neely 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
#1,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,843
+535 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 8.08
Rank movement Down 109 places
2020
#1,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,316
-1,527 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 7.47
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,393 | 23,308 | 8.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,502 | 23,843 | 8.08 | +535 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 109 places |
| 2020 | #1,567 | 22,316 | 7.47 | -1,527 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 65 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 Neely 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 | #1,502 | #1,567 | -4.3% |
| Count | 23,843 | 22,316 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 8.08 | 7.47 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neely bearers went from 23,843 to 22,316 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,502 to #1,567.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Neely
FAQ
Neely surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neely?
Name Census estimates that about 25,590 living Americans carry the surname Neely. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,394 residents.
How common is Neely?
Neely ranks #1,567 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,316 people with the surname Neely. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,590), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Neely.
Has Neely become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neely went from 23,843 recorded bearers to 22,316. That is a decrease of 1,527 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,502 to #1,567.
What does the Census say about the background of Neely?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neely, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (22.7%) 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Neely in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (15,316 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neely appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.6%), Black (22.7%), 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 Neely (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 Neely mean?
Derived from Irish and Scottish Gaelic "Ó Néill," meaning "descendant of Niall," a personal name meaning "champion." 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 Neely (7.47 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 Neely?
See how many people have the surname Neely on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.