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

Neer, 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 Neer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Neer in America

Neer is the 12837th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Neer surname appeared 2,398 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Neer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Neer 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 Neer

The surname NEER is of Dutch origin, originating in the Netherlands during the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "neer," which translates to "low" or "low-lying," likely referring to an individual who lived in a low-lying area or near a body of water.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the NEER surname can be found in the Dutch municipality of Gouda, where the name appeared in church records dating back to the late 1500s. The name was also present in other regions of the Netherlands, such as the provinces of Zuid-Holland and Noord-Brabant.

In the 17th century, the NEER surname gained recognition with the birth of Aert van der Neer (1603-1677), a prominent Dutch Golden Age painter known for his magnificent landscape paintings and nocturnal scenes. His works are displayed in prestigious museums around the world, including the Louvre in Paris and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Another notable individual bearing the NEER surname was Eglon van der Neer (1635-1703), a Dutch Golden Age painter and the son of Aert van der Neer. Eglon followed in his father's footsteps, creating beautiful landscape paintings and mastering the art of depicting moonlit scenes.

In the 18th century, the NEER surname appeared in various historical records, including the baptismal records of the Dutch Reformed Church in New York City, indicating that individuals with this surname had immigrated to the American colonies during this period.

During the 19th century, the NEER surname gained further prominence with the birth of Philip Neer (1842-1912), an American businessman and philanthropist from New York City. He established the Neer Memorial Trust, which provided financial support for educational institutions and charitable organizations.

Another notable individual with the NEER surname was Harriet Newell Noyes Neer (1865-1953), an American educator and women's rights advocate from Massachusetts. She played a significant role in promoting women's education and championing equal opportunities for women in academia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Neer

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

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

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

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